Remembrances
by Mig Kun
Summary: Natsu had passed away for a while now, but he couldn't seem to get over it. The image of his dead boyfriend still haunted him, and at night, memories of their days together took over his head. - Gratsu AU
1. September 4th, 2011 - The first meeting

Everything was blurry. The lights from the streets, the people around him, their faces, their hair, their clothes. I just didn't know what to do. Without realizing me own moves, I entered the sea of people surrounding the scene. I tried to make space between them by pushing and poking with my elbow. I couldn't see anything straight, it was just a meadow of fuzzy heads and bodies.

"Natsu!" I yelled. And I kept yelling. Without even thinking, I just opened my mouth and the sounds came out. I know I was walking to one of the saddest moments I would ever have to face. Part of me wanted to just get out of that place, of that mess, and just to continue to walk down the street, ignoring the commotion. Because I knew, that with every step I took, it became more final.

If I just ignored it, and kept following my own way, maybe it would be different. Maybe it would be another person lying there. Maybe Natsu would be where he was supposed to, and I would come over to meet him, we would bury the hatchet. He was going to open up the door, I would push him to a passionate kiss and we would have the best sex of our lives.

But then I decided to see what was going on. I didn't even think for a second that it might be something to do with me, with my life. I just wanted to check in. Take a peak on someone else's tragedy and feel good about my life for once. That's why there is always a circle of people near an accident isn't it. We pretend we care, we pretend to feel sorry for whatever soul is lying on the concrete, but in our heads, we're always thinking "thank god it didn't happen to me".

Except for this time. I would only stop by for a few seconds to catch in the situation, but as soon as I spotted that pink cherry head of hair I felt a thunder crushing through my heart. And then everything stopped. And I started seeing colors and movements instead of cars and headlights.

"Natsu!" I screamed from the top of my lungs as I finally reached the front of the crowd. I run towards the body. Some cop tried to stop me but I didn't even assimilate what he said. I felt the weight of my body coming back to me all at once and feel on my knees. I pushed his bloody head towards me and put it on my legs. His eyes were closed. My head fell towards it, our noses touched, and all my tears came down at once.

…

"Gray".

I woke up from my trance suddenly as I heard my name. I lifted my head up, a bit dizzy, and forgetting for a second where I was. As everything started to get back into place, I saw a woman standing there smiling at me.

She was short, with medium length curly dark blond hair. Her glasses were coke-bottle ones. On her body, she was wearing a big puffy beige jacket and a long purple skirt that seemed to be swallowing her small body, and black shoes with socks all up to her ankle. She smiled at me as I recognized her presence across the room, and I, nervously, and pathetically, shook my hand at the woman.

…

Passed that first meeting embarrassment, I was now in her room, sitting in a couch in front of her chair, where she was sited. Dead silence taking over the room, as I avoided making eye contact. And whenever I did do that she was looking at me with an intimidating smile, like she was waiting for me to say something. Why should I start the conversation? That was _her_ job goddammit.

"So…" the woman finally opened up, realizing I was not going to. I swallow hard with the first words spoken in that room, still fixing the window in the left side of the room. "Gray. Why don't you start by telling me the reason you came here for?"

"Right." I said softly and coughed to straighten up my voice. "I came here because… Well, let's say I came here because some friends thought it would be good for me."

"Is that it?" I waited a few seconds to process an answer.

"No, I mean… I came here also because, I myself, also thought I needed, obviously". She smiled.

"Great. Gray, I know that's your first time, and you're probably most likely nervous to be here, but can we agree that you'll try to look up and at me as our sessions progress?" I agreed with my head, facing the floor. "Okay. So, is this your first time during therapy?"

"Uh…" I turned my head at her direction, nervously, as I said that. "Can we not do this whole first awkward therapy session dance? I mean, can we just cut to the chase?" She smiled.

"Very well. So… what do you want to talk about?" Was she serious with that question? I mean common isn't there a better psychological strategy to make therapy patients to start talking? I smirked a little in response. "I mean, if you're here, then obviously, there is something you want to say, right?" _Obviously,_ I thought to myself. I was not amused.

The dead silence came back to haunt the room as I didn't know how to make a conversation off of that, and I started to face the flour again. I swallowed hard again as I build up some courage to face the woman and start to talk again.

"My boyfriend died." I spilled that information as I faced my head at her direction, and looked awkwardly at her eyes, as I expected her to respond. I did not intend to say that with that tone and with that abruptness.

Dead eyed she picked up a cup of coffee off of her coffee table and moved it into her lips direction, still facing at my eyes. Her expression saying "yeah, so?". She was testing me. The silence was too awkward for me to bear.

"I'm sorry. I guess… I didn't want to… I mean… I… I guess I just haven't even said that out loud before." Her eyebrows went up with the juicy information. She was _definitely_ testing me.

"And how long has it been since?"

"Four months." I said as I realized this was the first non-awkward sentence I've put together since I've been there. "We were together for six years. It's just hard you know? I mean, it's obviously going to be hard, but you just don't want to match people's expectations. Everyone assume I'm just a victim and that they have to go easy on me or something, and I just want everything to go back to normal. Not that I'm not suffering…" I emphasized "but why does every interaction that I have with my friends and family has to be around that foundation you know?"

As I finished my speech I took in some air, realizing I had just opened up with my new therapist.

"But are you over it?"

"No! Of course not. We lived through so many things. It is _still_ pretty recent, I mean… What is four months when compared to six years?"

"So maybe that's why everyone is still cautious when it comes to you. Looking through your eyes as you talked, I could see how moved you are by the whole situation. It is perceivable. Besides, six years is a long time. Perhaps everyone was so used to you two being together, that just seeing you is a reminder of what you've been through." I agreed with my head. "Why don't you just let me know how was your relationship with him? Tell me a story. Any story that would help me understand how the foundations of that relationship were."

"All right." I smiled, nervously. "I guess I can start by telling you the story of how we met."

"Perfect."

…

It was a sunny day of late summer. With a backpack on my back and an opened map in my hands, I smiled as I found myself standing in front of the building where I would live from that moment on. I heard a horn buzzing from behind me and turned around to see the red pickup truck my brother was driving. He put his head out of the window.

"Hey idiot, is this it?"

"No, I'm just in front of it admiring its beauty. What do you think?!"

"I mean, it's not an ugly building." He said stepping out of the car. "C'mon help me unpack. It's _your_ crap after all."

"Why do you have to whine about everything Lyon?" I said as we both started to pick things up from behind the car.

It was basically two bags, a minifridge, an armchair, and a microwave, even though I told my mom there was no need for that. I didn't want to be one of this kids for whom their parents gave a new set of furniture whenever they went to college. Besides, my nerdy roommate's probably set him up with this kind of stuff too. Plus, if there were only the bags I could enjoy the whole going to college trip without the company of my stupid brother Lyon.

"C'mon lazy boy, let's get to work." Lyon said, as he threw the armchair at my direction.

"What's your problem?!" I complained as I dodged the chair, that flew a few meters away.

"Hey!" I heard a girl shout from behind, as I rolled my eyes and went towards the chair to see what happened. It had fell in front of a blond girl with a very unpleasant look at my direction as I went down to her.

She had blond hair caught in pigtails. Her breasts were pretty large and here small pink shirt attenuated that just fine. She was also wearing blue shorts and golden flipflops.

"I'm sorry." I said in advance.

"What's your problem?! Someone could get seriously hurt, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know that. He, on the other hand, doesn't." I said, pointing to my brother that waved at her from the top of the truck.

"Well, someone needs to teach your friends some manners!".

"He only _wished_ he was my friend."

"Whatever. Just pick up your chair and go. I have friends waiting for me!"

"Okay! Geez…"

I picked up the armchair and head my way towards Lyon, who was giggling like a toddler at the top of the truck, the girl went her way cursing us.

"Wow, man. She is hot. I could get used to these college chicks y'know". Lyon said with a jerk expression on his face.

"Yeah, right. Like there's any chance you could have her."

"Yeah, like you could."

I rolled my eyes with the direction that conversation was going and rushed Lyon to get all the things out of the car so I could move to my room as soon as possible.

"I'm going man, jeez!" He replied.

I took the two suitcases and put the microwave inside the backpack I was already carrying. Lyon took the minifridge and the chair. Unfortunately, my room was at the third floor and we had to carry all that weight without showing any sign of exhaustion, because we wanted to prove to one another how strong the other was.

"Here t is." As I said as I stopped in front of the door with the numbers 302 in it. I picked the key from inside my pocket and opened it.

Inside I found a redhaired guy lied down at one of the beds. He wore glasses, and was also wearing a yellow hoodie and jeans. He rushed to put out a joint at the coffee table near his bead as he saw people coming in.

"What up my mans!" The guy greeted us, making it obvious how stoned he was. "Uh, duded, I don't want to ruin the mood or anything but there is only one bed left, so…

"Oh no, he is my brother." I explained. "He is only here helping and tasting the sweet flavor of college while he can, since he is not going to get in."

"You're so funny…" Lyon protested.

"Oh, cool man. What's up, I'm Loki." He greeted me with a hand shake and a tap in the back.

"I'm Gray. Lyon, you can put everything on top of the bed." I said as I dropped the suitcases on the floor.

"I'm not your maid." My brother said, closing the door.

I sat on the bed and took the backpack off my back. Took a deep breath and looked around. So, this is what was waiting for me. A small room with a TV and a stoned roommate. Sweet. I couldn't wait to start this next chapter of my life.

"So…" Lyon said, provocatively "are you going to share this joint with us or what?"

"Hell yeah I am!". Loki said in a stupid potheaded kind of way. He picked up the joint that was hiding behind a watch, and took a lighter out of his pocket, lighting it. He took a pull at it and passed it on to Lyon who was inappropriately already sat on the floor with his shoes off.

"Lyon?"

"Yeah."

"Don't you think it's time for you to go?"

"Oh, kiss my ass!" He responded.

"No, don't go!" Loki said in a dumb and clueless way. "Let's all hang. Before this place starts to get boring, am I right?"

"Fine…" I said, after taking a deep breath. "But one of you better pass me that joint!"

I lied down at my new bed with my head in the pillow, took my shoes off and stretched myself. Picked up the joint and started to smoke it, pulling in and blowing the smoke off, peacefully. My mind was calm and every thought I had, began to be erased from my head. I felt calm like I hadn't felt for a really long time. My problems started to fade, and it was like my bed was just floating around. I smiled at nothing, with the joint stuck in between my fingers.

Suddenly I woke up from my trance with Lyon taking it from me, with an angry expression. He passed it on to Loki again, but I just ignored that interruption and continued to look at the ceiling aimlessly with an unnoticed silly smile across my face.

"Hey, it's getting hot in here. Do you mind if I take off my shirt?" I said, in a dumb way.

"Strip away my friend." Loki replied, while also lying down with the joint in his hands, looking up.

Quickly I took off my shirt, and also my pants, keeping only my boxer shorts and my socks on.

"You better get used to it living with Gray. He is a nudist." Said Lyon.

"Shut up Lyon, like you're the one to talk!" I said, kicking his head.

"Ow! You jerk!" Angrily he turned over me and pushed my face close to his by my shoulders.

His hands were closed ready to punch, and so were mine. Our teeth were clenched. We were staring angrily at each other for a second, but when our eyes met we both started to laugh copiously at that picture.

"I'm actually going to miss this." I said, taking a deep breath, as Lyon let my body go and came back to his early position.

"Awn. Who knew you had a heart."

"Shut up, I'm only saying this 'cause I'm baked."

"Dudes!" Loki shouted, making my ears shake. I looked at him completely lost, remembering that he was still there with us. "You brought a minifridge?" He said with a shocked expression seeing the object on my bed. "Man, my folks didn't let me bring anything!"

Ok, so apparently, my mom wasn't all on the wrong on the whole bring a minifridge and a microwave scenario.

"Hey, you know what they got here?" The redhaired boy said passing the joint on to my brother. "Cable! Can you actually belie it?"

"Taking into account the fee to go here, I say I can, yes." I replied, as I sat on the bed with my back leaning against the wall.

My roommate seemed to not pay attention to my response, as he searched for the remote to turn the television on. The joint was back with me, as I peacefully started to smoke it again, and my body muscles all became relaxed. My moment of peace was disturbed when Loki turned on the TV, and the lights coming from the object seemed to go directly towards my eyes. I covered them with my hands.

"Great, Adventure Time is on! This show is a great entertainment when you're high." My new college classmate said with excitement.

My brother and I started to pay attention to the cartoon on display. Of course, that for the three of us, or for me at least, it was just a bunch of colorful talking bubbly characters that may or may not be unanimated objects (I couldn't figure out what they were, actually.) doing nonsense stuff in a fairy tale background. We laughed together not understanding anything that was going on, doing stupid remarks at the show, as the joint was being passed on to the three of us. It had been a long time since I felt so at peace, happy and in sync, by being completely not in sync with anything that was going on around us. It was like that room was a new-found palace where I could isolate myself from the rest of the world and just breath.

A few hours passed, without any of us realizing it, as we watched that cartoon marathon away, getting high in the process. The three of us decided to order pizza, and giggled when a very stoned Loki called to the pizza delivery place trying to stay serious. After what I believed were several minutes talking to the person on the other side of the line about anything that wasn't pizza and laughing at really idiot jokes, we finally agreed on a topping, which was something they called "everything and then some" pizza.

"Wait, is this still the same show? Where did the talking dog go?" My brother wondered.

"This is the talking dog!" I explained.

"Man, that's a talking pizza!"

"Yeah, the dog was transformed into a pizza a few episodes ago? Aren't you paying attention? I think this is some kind of alternative universe or something." I said. "You see, this old man with a moustache is actually the boy with a cellphone hat."

"Ugh! Can they come back to be who they were before? This talking pizza is getting me hungry!" Lyon complained. "Where is that Pizza?!"

As my brother finished that sentence, we heard someone knocking on the door. With that sound, Loki who was in lying in his bed mouth opened, lost in his imagination, suddenly got up mumbling a sound.

"The pizza!" The orange haired guy said, standing up and going to the door. He opened it to reveal a woman. She was ginger, her hair was long, and she was using a white shirt, jeans and black boots.

"Hi, I'm Erza Scarlet, I'm a sophomore student at teaching school, and I am going to help you today."

"Yes, good. Where is the pizza?" My clueless roommate said, appearing to not have paid any attention to what the woman at the hallway just said.

"Pizza? No, I'm just here to deliver your calendar of the week and some pamphlets with information about this university. Wait, what is this smell?"

At that very moment, the pizza guy appeared behind Erza holding the much beloved and awaited food.

"Did someone in here ordered pizza?"

"Yes!" Loki said, over excited. Ignoring Erza's presence standing between him and the delivery guy. "Thank you". He picked up the pizza box and closed the door at the woman's face, while the delivery man complained the money was not enough.

Unfortunately, the door couldn't be closed, since Erza's foot was standing on it's way. She forced the door opened, and closed it again, this time at the delivery guy's face, while he complained about the money problem.

"Look, I know you're new here and everything, but this institution still does have rules." The redhaired woman said in an intimidating tone that gave me chills behind my neck.

"Your point being?" Provoked Lyon, as I slapped him behind his head.

"I know the smell of marijuana when I sense it. And you're not allowed to smoke inside of school property."

"Oh c'mon. This is college! Rule breaking and stuff, you know?" Loki protested and Erza gave him a stone-faced look that made all three of us shiver.

"Okay…" I got up from the bed, as I felt the need to intervein. "May I ask what you're going to do about this whole situation?"

"Easy. I will report you. And that could take some privileges away from all three of you."

"Ha! That's where you're wrong. I don't even go here."

With Lyon's remark, Erza's face became even more scary, which I know made my brother almost pee his pants.

"Fine! Can we just not take it to this level yet?" I said, trying to ease the situation. "Why don't we play a game?"

After I said that, I noticed her eyes shine and a discreet smiled appeared on her lips for only a second. Jackpot! I knew someone like her wouldn't miss the chance to win at something. It was almost like the word "competitive" was written on her forehead.

"A game?" She turned over to me and pretend to not be much interested. "What kind of game?"

"A card game! I brought a deck of cards with me, if you're interested."

"Keep talking…"

"If you win, you can report us, but…" I paused for dramatic effect "If any of us win, you will not only _not_ report us, _but_ you will also have to stay here and have fun with us."

"But wait, she is clearly in disadvantage, I mean, is three against one!" Loki protested, in an unnoticed attempt to kill my plans.

I looked at Erza's face trying to figure out something to say, when she said;

"That's not a problem." She smiled. "I trust my abilities. Let's do it!

"All right." I smiled this time. "But let's keep everything more interesting." I said, opening my bag to find the deck of cards. I took it out along with a bottle of cheap wine II secretly packed. "Everyone sit."

The four of us sat on the floor, in the middle of the room, in a square, as I shuffle the cards.

"The game is like this; since we're four there will only be four types of cards in this game; ace, two, three and four, four of each to be distributed among us, and also a joker. The idea of the game is to be able to get all the four cards. We have to pass it on each round a card that is not helpful to us to the person on our right. The person who gets all the four cards has to, discretely, drop the cards, faced down. When the first person does that, everyone has got to do the same. The last person to do that loses, and has to drink a sip of this wine."

"Man, this wine is so cheap." Said Loki. "Look, its bottle is even made out of plastic."

"Yeah, but it gets you drunk pretty fast."

"And what about the Joker?" Erza asked.

"Right. So, the joker is only here to increase the game's difficulty. Since there is also the joker, one person will start with five cards. This person begins. And, if you get the joker, you have to wait one round to pass it on. Shall we begin?"

I distributed the cards and the game started. Erza with her, now usual, serious expression facing all of us, to see if we weren't cheating or anything. At one point, Lyon poked my knee with his elbow discreetly and slowly dropped the cards on the floor. I did the same. Erza was now too concentrated to notice it. We just had to get Loki's attention. It was now Erza's turn and I didn't have any more cards to pass it on. Loki was acting like an airhead and was not paying attention to anything. Quickly, Lyon said;

"Loki, is that a sack of weed in your pocket?"

"What?!" Erza screamed, facing him.

Scared, Loki dropped the cards on the floor. With a cynical smile, I put my hand on Erza's shoulder.

"Well my dear friend, it appeared so that you lost."

"What?!" She now faced me, her face and voice reminding the ones of a raging beast. Now, I was the one that almost peed my pants. "That's impossible. I was paying attention to every move. _You_ cheated!"

"Well, as a soon to be lawyer student, I feel like is my obligation to ask; can you prove it?" Her vein was popping in her forehead.

"I don't have to _prove_ anything! It was obvious."

"I didn't see anything." Said Lyon, giggling.

"Neither did I."

"So… I think it's time for you to…" Loki and Lyon started to make drumrolls sounds in their legs. "Sip the wine!" I reached out the plastic bottle and gave it to her.

"Sip the wine! Sip the wine!" The boys cheered.

"Fine!" She took the bottle abruptly, spilling it a little on the brown carpet. "But this is bullshit and you know it."

Erza turned over the bottle towards her mouth, and a little sip became one giant sip. Our eyes popped at the sight of Erza turning over a third of that bottle inside her mouth. I felt the need to intervein.

"Okay…" I reached out for the cheap plastic container and took away from her. "Let's give the chance for other people to have fun."

She passed her hands on her lips with dignity, before saying something.

"I _demand_ another round."

Soon, the other round became four others, and everyone got to taste the cheap wine. By then, the redhaired sophomore was too waisted to remember why she was there for, and the boys had won. We laughed, we told stories, we had fun. My first day of college and I already made two new friends (plus a got a chance to be in the same room as my brother without it ended it up by us punching each other). College started strong, I couldn't wait to see how the rest of it would follow.

When the sun was starting to set, another girl, in a black dress, appeared at our door. Her hair was white and she had a concerned expression on her face.

"Hum, hello…" She spoke softly and nervously, as all the eyes in the room turned over to her. "Erza… We were looking for you…"

"Mirajane!" An extra excited Erza yelled at the sight of the girl at the door. "Come, come! This is Gray, and this is…"

Before the sophomore could finish, she turned to the other side and vomit came out of her mouth straight to the carpet. With dignity, she lifted her head and her finger.

"I'm ok…" Without having a chance to finish more vomit came out of her.

Worried, Mirajane ran to her friend for help, and so did the rest of us, even though, besides the other woman, none of the others ended up being very helpful.

…

It was already dark out, the moon was glowing in the sky. Lyon and I had just left the building and were in front of the red pickup truck in which we came in. Now he was going to be the only one leaving. It was about to get final, and I didn't know if I could handle it.

"So…"

"So… Are you sure you are already okay to drive?"

"Yeah, yeah… Don't worry…"

The awkward silence was reigning at that farewell moment. None of us were very good with expressing feelings. Mixing that up with the fact that we always wanted to be the stronger brother, it was easy to assume we we're not going to make a big scene.

"Okay, so what now…"

"What about a hug…?" My brother proposed, and I didn't know how to reply to that. I stared blankly at him for a few seconds, non-intentionally.

"Okay, okay, forget I said that…"

He turned over to open the door of the truck, as I turned him over and grabbed him into a hug. He replied to it. Our heads fitted into each other's shoulders and we stayed like this for a few long seconds, in that dark night scenario.

"I think that's enough."

"Yeah."

Lyon entered the truck and looked at me from the window.

"Take good care of mom."

"I will." He said, starting the car.

"And if Juvia asks…"

"You're not attending this school, got it."

"Well, then, bye…" I said, forcing my tears inside of me.

"Hey Gray…" I rolled my eyes with this last remark. It was hard enough as it was.

"Yeah…?" Tears almost falling.

"This whole time we lived together… It was cool."

"It was." I smiled.

Lyon turned the truck around as I watched from a distance it leaving. I smiled in relieve when my tears started to come down across my face. I loved that bastard.

…

My first unofficial week of college was amazing. It was almost something out of a yogurt commercial, people were happy, the campus was green and bright, everything seems to be happening just fine. The classes hadn't officially started yet, but there were a lot of activities involving the freshman getting to know their veterans. The law students' veterans seemed to me at the time something that could be compared to Greek gods, they seemed untouchable and unshakable, but at the same time, very genuinely nice.

On my first Monday at the school, on the main patio, happened the "Get to Know Each Other" Fair. A lot of activities took place, coordinated by the veterans of each course, there was a painting class by the art students, an improv class by the drama students, and there was even a first aid classes by the medical students, although with all that was going on it didn't seem to be the most popular of activities. I saw Mirajane there, as one of the teachers.

Erza was also there, but she was one of the coordinators, making sure everything was in line. The times I saw her she didn't appear to be very happy, and was always with a walkie talkie by her side. Very intimidating.

Wednesday some of the professors showed up on campus to introduce themselves to their respective students. None of mine showed up, so I didn't do much that day, also because some of Loki's teachers did show up and he wasn't around much. I utilized that free time to get to know the campus by myself, it was a bit intimidating, especially since it was kind of empty, and I felt like some lonesome adventurer walking around abandoned temples.

Friday I went to my first college party. It was law students exclusively, but I managed to bring Loki with me. I felt a bit casted aside and didn't know how to communicate much with people there. It didn't help that Loki completely vanished at one point. With the help of booze, I started to feel more comfortable, I danced and then some girls came to me on the dance floor, but I dismissed them, since I was not actually in the mood.

Tired after so much dancing I sat on one of the sofas. Some sophomore and junior girls sat next to me and we started talking. Their names were Laki, Kinana and Bisca. I introduced myself and they were amused by the amount of crap I said since I was drunk. I don't remember much of that conversation, only that Laki was having trouble with her boyfriend, and Bisca teased her by asking me for romantic advice.

After that, other people decided to play spin the bottom and called the girls who dragged me along. They introduced me and I managed to say even more crap which made more people laugh. There was a boy sitting in front of me. I didn't know his name, but he was smiling towards me the whole time. His hair was dark blond, he had a bit of a beard, and the top button of his shirt was open showing his collarbone. His eyes were light brown and fixated at mine, which made me blush, along with the fact that he wouldn't stop smiling. That smile was incredibly sexy.

Than it happened that the bottle was pointing to me and a brunette woman that was right next to him. I crawled over to her so we could kiss, but than that guy advanced and pushed me by my neck, I didn't intervein. He pressed his lips on mine as I could hear everyone cheering. His mouth had incredible presence and I let it guide my own. An incredible heat took over my body as we pressed our bodies even more next to each other and our tongues danced. Then we were interrupted by someone asking for help.

I pulled my face away from his to see what was going on, and then I saw Loki puking all over the floor. He tried to pull me next to him again, but I said I had to help my roommate and left, making everyone boo at me.

Angry and concerned I tried to help the girl that screamed that first time clean the vomit, but she said it was fine and that I should just focused on bringing Loki to "his" dorm. I used my body as a support, putting his arm on my shoulder so I could carry him. All the way up to our dorm he talked about the girls he made out with at the party. I couldn't help to be a little upset that my time with the hot boy was cut short thanks to my drunk roommate.

The other days of the week I just hanged with Loki inside and out. We had lunch together, we watched TV together, we smoked weed together. At first it was strange seeing him as another being than his party animal self I first met that day with Lyon. The orange haired boy was actually pretty smart and even charming, his popularity with girls was no surprise. He was an interesting man, cultured, and knew how to keep a conversation going. A few times we went to the pool and bet who could swim faster. I always won, since I've been swimming as a hobby from a very early age. It was nice to win over Loki at something, because, my perception of him was that he was way more interesting, smart, and popular than me.

That first week flew by, and soon the first official week of college came. Before the classes could start on Monday, there would occur the initiation ceremony at the auditorium, with all the new students. There the dean would say something, alongside some other people, and then the student with the biggest grade at acceptance exam would make the final speech. I sat with Loki at the end of the auditorium so we could make stupid remarks at the initiation without bothering anyone.

"And now, for the final speech, our new student, Freed Justine."

"Look at this guy". Loki smirked.

"I know… You just know his mom handpicked all of his material".

"And his underwear". He said making us both giggle.

"Why do we have to hear this idiot for?!"

I heard that voice speak loudly, almost scream, from behind of me. If only I knew I would be hearing that voice a lot more from there on, perhaps I wouldn't be so annoyed by it. But for now, I grinded my teeth in shock and rolled my eyes. Loki and I exchange looks of astonishment at the audacity of the boy behind us.

"Can you believe this guy?"

"I know, right? Making rude remarks towards this idiot was supposed to be our thing." My roommate joked, making my smirk.

"You're an idiot."

As if that wasn't enough, the guy from behind me was also eating very loudly, with every chew it was like a crusher was uncontrollably dancing through the room, and with every sip he took with a straw it was like a thousand people were burping into a loudspeaker. My teeth were clenched and my hands were pressed into a fist, as I tried to control myself not to yell with whichever jerk was sitting behind me.

"Oh, come on!" That was it. "Wont this ever end?"

"Hey!" I abruptly turned around to the guy. When our eyes met, I felt a shock going through my body. That was only the first time. He seemed surprised to see someone barging in into his rudeness. His left eyebrow went up at the sight of me. "Can you please shut up? Some of us are actually trying to pay attention." Loki giggled when I said that and I felt a really strong will to punch him.

The boy had unusual cherry pink hair. He was resting his barefoot feet on one of the chairs in front of him (he was actually two rows behind), with a popcorn and a cup of soda on his hands. If I was annoyed by only hearing his voice, seeing him with my own eyes increased that annoyance by a thousand. His face alone, so entitled of everything, made me want to bury my fist into his face. But what was bothering me the most was the way he looked at me. It was provoking me to no lengths.

And he wasn't alone. On his side, resting her face in his left shoulder, was that very same girl that yelled at me on my first day there, with that whole chair spectacle. And on her side, was a brunette girl, with a water bottle on her hand.

"Fine, pretty boy!"

"Fine!" I said, turning around again.

After a few seconds, I could hear some whispers from behind and rolled my eyes at it, but tried to pay attention at the speech. Then a popcorn hit the back of my head. My hands were already closed into a fist, but I tried not to pay attention to it. Then it happened again. I just couldn't bare it. I turned around with anger moving my body.

"What is your problem?!" I whispered loudly, as the girl from the other day giggled at my anger.

"Nothing." He said provocatively.

"Can you turn it down a notch, we're trying to watch the speech." The blond woman said in a cynical way.

"Well it doesn't appear that way." I said, without noticing my voice was getting louder.

I turned around again, with rage going through my body. A split second after, I felt another popcorn hitting my head. That was it. I turned around and pulled him closer to me by his ankle. We we're face to face now.

"That is it! What is your problem?!" I was pressing my fist really hard not to hit him with it.

His teeth we're clenched and his eyes were exhaling anger too. He kicked me in the head with the feet I pulled. I fell back and hit the chair in front of me. Without a second to recover I kneeled in my chair so I could get taller and pulled him closer by his collar, my fist ready to hit his face.

"Hey!"

Erza jumped in, coming out of nowhere, and split us, making us both fall back into our chairs. Her face was as intimidating as usual, and her vein was popping on her forehead. It wasn't a pretty picture.

"You both stop it, or I will be forced to show yourselves out of the building."

For as angry as I was at the boy with the stupid pink hair, it wasn't worth it defying Erza, so I turned around again, but my angry expression was still looking deep into his eyes to show I wasn't done yet. Then Erza pulled me by my collar, and, this time, I almost pooped my pants.

"What are you doing?" She whispered in my ear. "Can't you see this people are trouble?" She let me go and I fell back into my chair. Then she looked at the other boy, and said with a tone that wasn't nearly as friendly as the one she reserved for me. "And you! Sit straight, this is not your living room!" She pushed his foot away, taking them out of the chair he was resting them in.

As Erza was walking away, Loki turned around for the first time to see who were these people behind us.

"Hey Cana!"

"Loki…" The brunette woman replied, with a drunken voice.

"I bet my own clothes that this isn't water." My roommate said referring to the bottle in her hands.

"Hey, if you want to, why won't you visit me again at my dorm?"

"I'll consider…"

He turned around with a provocative smile on his face.

"Geez…" I said "How many women have you been with since you moved here last week?"

…

I was walking down on campus with Loki, the sun was shining on our heads. I was waiting him as he was buying some chocolate at the cafeteria. Then I saw him. The boy with the cherry hair was sat under a three with the two girls that were with him before. On his body, he was wearing a red sweater, black sweatpants and flipflops. He was also using goggles on his forehead for some stupid reason. My eyes met his and he smiled cynically at me, making my body shake with anger. I had to go talk to him.

Leaving Loki there I walked to that boy and his friends very determinedly.

"What was your problem back there?!" I yelled.

"She told me what you did." He said, playing with a tiny ball. I looked at the blond girl still resting his face on her shoulder.

"What I did...?" I turned around to the girl. "You mean that thing with the chair? That was an accident! It wasn't even me it was my brother…"

"Save it. We don't care about your excuses." The guy stepped in, still playing with the ball, throwing it up and catching it.

My body was shaking with rage still, as I looked to that man again. I tried to say something, but his stupid ball was bothering me. Without even thinking, I caught that ball in the air, and threw it away. It landed on the top of a building.

"What is your problem?!" He said, getting up abruptly, throwing me on the ground. "That ball was a present from my father, it has been with me since I was a kid, it is my lucky ball!"

I was surprised by how upset he was about the ball. It was the first time I saw him without being his stupid provocative self. I got up cleaning my sweater.

"Look, I'm sorry. I'll go get it."

"Don't bother!"

He went into the building direction. It seemed to be under repair, and not being used. It also appeared to being repainted. I followed him as he walked determinedly.

"I'm sorry!" I tried to explain.

"I don't care!"

We got into the building and he started to climb the fire scape stairs that were on the side of the edifice, as I followed him.

"Look, while we're at it, can you at least explain to me your behavior back there?"

"I already told you!" He fired.

"Not towards me! I mean, while you were watching the speech, why were you like that? Do you just enjoy being a jerk?"

"He was a jerk!"

"He…? You mean the guy reading the speech?"

"He was from the same school as Lucy, you know? She was supposed to be reading that speech. But he advised her to get her exam reviewed." He explained, while having to take breaks to breath since it was a really big climb through those stairs. "He told her one of her answers was wrongly corrected. And as a result, another one of her answers was deemed as incorrect and he got the bigger grade!"

"And this Lucy girl… I take she is the same from the chair thing, right? Is she your girlfriend?"

"What gave that away?"

I smirked at that answer. We climbed the rest of the way up the roof quietly. When we finally got there, we saw the red little ball right in the middle of it. The problem was, between us and the ball, there was a hole at the roof. As the pink haired guy was walking his up there, I held his leg.

"What?! Let me go!"

"Let's play a game."

"Game?! I don't have time for this bullshit."

"If I get to the ball first…" I said, ignoring what the boy had just said. "Then you have to forgive me. _But_ , if you get to it first, you can punch me in the face. Deal?"

"Deal…" He sighted.

"You go around the hole by the right and I go around it by the left."

We both got into the roof, and I held the boy's arm.

"What are you doing?!"

Ignoring his question, I counted to three and let him go. We ran to the ball, my adrenaline was popping. I jumped as high as I could and landed where the ball was, picking it up with my hands. I saw as the guy with the pink hair was still running towards it and how mad his expression got when I got to it first. Distracted, he slipped and fell through the hole in the concrete.

"Look out!"

I ran to him, his arms and his upper chest were still holding on not to fall. I held his arm and pushed it as strongly as I could. It worked, as I pushed him back to the rooftop. We realized that all that effort made another massive piece of the concrete break, and we crawled away to the other point of the roof, seeing as the piece of the roof fell down, making an even bigger hole.

"I'm Gray" I introduced myself, breathlessly, still looking to what just happened in shock, extending my hand at the other guy.

"Natsu." He responded to my handshake. "So how the hell are we going to get out of here?"

…

"Gray Fullbuster. Natsu Dragneel."

The man sitting in front of us said our names, looking at each of the young boys sitting in front of him separately when saying it.

We were sitting in two armchairs, me at the one in the right, and Natsu at the one in the left. Separate from us by a wooden table, was the dean, Makarov Dreyar. He was an old, bald and unusually short man, and was looking at us without a single expression on his face, making his short figure even scarier.

"Look, old man" Natsu started talking and I closed my eyes in hopelessness, as I knew nothing good could follow up that sentence "It is not our faults that the buildings here are so old that they are falling apart. If you ask me, we only helped to showcase the problems with this place architecture before anyone could get hurt."

"That building was under repair and it was off limits."

"Well, then you should have put a sign."

"I did."

I sighed in discontent as I knew our fates were sealed. Natsu rolled his eyes as he didn't expect that answer and faced the floor.

"I have to tell you, I don't think there were ever any freshmen students that ended up being in my office this soon into the school year. Since it is clear that any of us wants to be here, I'll make it easy for you. The repair of that building is going to cost ten million.

"TEN MILLION?!" Natsu and I shouted in disbelieve.

"That's impossible, there is no way I'll be able to pay that." I explained.

"Yeah, and that building was already fallen into pieces before, shouldn't we pay only for the cost of the roof?"

"This _is_ the cost of the roof! But since I already saw problems like that coming, I'll make it easy for you. I'll put you down to help on the cleaning team at night, as long as you promise me you won't get in any more trouble."

"Fine." I said quickly, before Natsu got the chance to screw things up. "But what about our classes in the morning?"

"You're young. You'll manage."

We left the dean's office a little bit shaken, but at least we we're not going to have to pay for ten million bucks. We took a glimpse at each other's eyes one more time as we stood in the hallway in front of Makarov's room, we were both tired and relieved. He smiled at me and I smiled at him, the first of many smiles to come.

"Here is your stupid ball." I said, taking it out of my pocket and throwing the red object at him.

"Thanks."

We both turned around to different directions, and he called me.

"And Gray…" I turned around again to see the pink haired guy who had just gotten myself into trouble. "Take care."

"You too." I smiled at him as we both turned around again to keep our paths.

As it turned out, that school was not big enough to the two of us.

…

I got out of the building a little bit shaken. It has been a while since all those memories came all back to me. The memories of the early days. As I stepped out of the door I cursed myself for not bringing an umbrella with me, seeing as the rain was abruptly fallen. Then I felt a protection coming over my head, at the form of a black umbrella. I sighted surprised and turned around to see Erza next to me, stretching her arm. She was smiling, which made me smile.

"How was it?" My friend asked, casually.

"It was… Something." We both smiled, as we walked down the rainy streets, two friends, catching up.


	2. October 8th, 2011 - The first kiss

"Gray!"

That loud voice made me awake from my slumber, mumbling. Kind of lost, and with saliva dropping from the side of my mouth, I lifted my head up from my hand that was supporting it and pressed my eyes to see where I was. Soon the blurs started to get into place and I realized I was at the middle of the dining hall, and the sounds coming from everything around me were echoing in my ear, making my annoyed. Sitting right in front of me was Loki, with a concerned expression on his face.

"Gray, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah…" I said still kind of lost wishing I was still sleeping.

"This late-night cleaning team of yours is not making you any good."

"I know, I know… But what are you going to do?"

Loki's cellphone beeped and he interrupted our conversation to look at it. Slowly, my head fell into my hands again, as I closed my eyes falling back into sleep.

"Gray!" The scream from my roommate echoed into my ears, making my brain shake inside my head, as I lifted it up again, trying to prove that I was awake. "Dude, look at it!"

The orange haired guy sitting in front of me stretched his arms pointing his phone directly into my face, and the blurry lights from the object were like I was staring directly at the sun, and I all I could see was that brightness.

"What?" I said, covering my eyes with my hand.

"Look at it!"

"I would prefer if you would just tell me…" I said making my friend grumble.

"Fine, it's the first big party of the year! And we are both invited!" I couldn't exactly process any information that was given to me at that moment, so I just stared blankly at Loki's face with my eyes semi closed, forgetting to pretend to react at whatever he had just said. "Ugh! Look, is this Saturday, at Fairy Hills sorority house, starting at ten p.m.. We have to go! We are going, right?" I was almost sleeping again when Loki said those words, but was quickly awakened when the hands of the boy in front of me grabbed my arms and started shaking it. "Gray! Tell me you're are going!"

"To what?" I said, completely lost, forcing my eyes at my friend's direction so I could see him and not a blurred figure.

"The party!" My roommate said, pointing his cellphone on me again making me groan with the lights and look away.

"I don't know man. I've been very tired…"

"Figured…"

"And I'm already behind on class and stuff…"

"Oh, come on! It has been only a month! You'll be fine… This is our chance to have the ultimate college experience. And it starts now. With this party!"

"I don't know, I was planning on sleeping during the weekend…"

"No!" Loki said, strongly. "This is what you gonna do. You'll go back to our dorm, sleep, and feel galvanized by Saturday, and ready to party!"

I was about to mumble some excuse, when I saw Natsu walking past our table. Our eyes quickly met, as we both made ugly faces at each other, and I grumbled some curse quietly so that he wouldn't hear.

"Wait, that guy? Is he still giving you a hard time?"

"Yeah… I mean, everything was fine until we were paired together at the cleaning team."

"Paired together? What do you mean?"

"It's a stupid idea, but apparently if everyone works in pairs we will clean faster or something…" Loki smirked at that explanation.

"Geez, who's idea was that?"

"Hello, boys."

Before I could respond, the answer herself appeared at the form of Erza Scarlet, sitting next to Loki, drinking from a tiny juice box.

"So, Gray, how did you like my idea of pairing up the cleaning team? Really efficient, huh?"

My roommate looked at me as I lift my eyebrow up, answering his question. He turned his face to the side while trying to hold his laughs.

"What are you boys up to?"

"I'm trying to convince Gray to go to the party Saturday with me."

"Oh, I see…" the woman mumbled. "You guys are much better off without this kind of company…" she said in disdain. "This sororities are trouble. They are nothing but entitled brats that think the world owes something to them." I smiled at Loki's direction in victory, as he rolled his eyes.

"So, the way I see it, you weren't accepted in one of these sororities, which hurt your pride, right?"

Without showing any emotion, Erza punched the top of Loki's head, which hurt even on me, as he tried really hard not to cry out.

"Anyway, as I was saying, if you guys are smart in any way, you won't be going to this stupid presentation of the worst the college life has to offer. Follow my example boys, create your own sorority."

She said in pride, before standing up and yelling at someone that had just sneezed on the food in display, walking away to handle that situation, as she always was. I followed her example, standing up, picking up my tray.

"Where are you going?" Loki asked.

"To follow your advice. To sleep." I said, walking away.

"Does that mean you're going to the party?"

"No!" I yelled walking my past leaving my friend at the table.

…

It was late night, as I was standing in the middle of the dining hall thinking "why?". Along with there were seven other poor souls that were caught in the middle of that Chinese torture segment. In front of us, giving orders like some kind of general was the ginger haired boss herself, Erza Scarlet.

"So, tonight we are going to clean bathrooms, people. So, grab your cleaning partner and let's diving in. Gray and Natsu, you two are responsible for the bathrooms at the Mavis Building…"

Erza kept assigning the pairs to their respective buildings, as Natsu and I exchanged looks of disdain at each other.

"Is that all, _boss_?" A deep voice said from the other extremity of the line, it was Laxus.

Laxus was a huge, brawny kid, with blond hair. Even the way that he breathed was intimidating. That guy showcased exactly the type of entitled brats that Erza was talking about at lunch earlier that day. He was a jock, leader of one of the biggest fraternities of that school, who walked around like he owned the damn thing, bullying and giving orders towards everyone around him, he also had his own army of blind followers that did everything he wanted to get on his good side. Plus, he was also the grandson of the dean. So, summing it up, he was basically a high school popular kid embodied by a college student.

"That _is_ all, Laxus, thanks for asking."

"No wonder she only gives orders and never cleans anything" Laxus indiscreetly whispered to the kid next to him. "It would mess up her wig. This drag queens are so marginalized, I'm telling you."

A lot of giggles started to pop up between the people on the room. I looked at Natsu and he was one of the people trying hard not to break into laughter. I rolled my eyes at that sight. Erza was not amused by the whole situation, and was starring indifferently but firmly at everyone. As people realized the scary ginger woman in front of them, the commotion stopped, and silence reigned. She went towards Laxus' direction, while everyone was tense by the sounds of her steps on the wooden floor.

"Laxus why are you here again? Wait, don't tell me. It's the result of years of depredation, and incredible amounts of disrespect towards school property, right?" Erza said those things getting closer and closer towards the blond man, until their noses were almost touching. Everyone turned around to see what was going to happen next. She pulled his body closer to her, and bended her leg, lifting it up, pressing her knee against his private area. Laxus compressed a scream inside his throat as that happened. "So, instead of expelling you, your grandfather, the dean, decides to be real nice and cuts you some slack by putting you down to the cleaning team, so your immense male ego and pig like attitude could still attend this school. And you thought that if you only appeared here with your rudeness and laziness and did nothing, your grandfather would've just forgiven you, even though you did nothing but sit your sorry ass around and rest your ugly feet the whole time. Well, not on my watch!

Erza finished her speech with terrifying whispers, before letting Laxus go and separating their bodies from one another. Meanwhile, everyone was looking at that scene with their mouth opened. Then, recomposing herself like nothing ever happened, the ginger girl clapped her hands and said;

"Now get to work!"

As me and Natsu were heading towards the exit of that hall to go to our building, I could hear Laxus complaining to his pair, a thin, pale, small kid with glasses and an emo like hair, black with bangs, and an overall gothic look.

"Can you believe that bitch?"

"Let it go. They say she is only like that out of bitterness since none of the major girl sororities in this school let her in. Since then she decided to act like some inspector or something." The boy replied, as I unnoticedly had stopped to watch the conversation between them.

"Hey Gray, are you coming or what?" Natsu called me, making Laxus notice my presence and look directly into my eyes, making the back of my neck chill. He didn't have a nice expression on his face.

"Yeah…" I said, waking up from my trance and walking towards the door, but not before I could hear the final remarks of Laxus' conversation.

"This two. Why are they here for?"

"Oh, there is something to do with that building they are repairing. I heard they climbed it and a piece of the roof fell, or something." Laxus grumbled at that answer.

…

"You are not doing this right!" Natsu yelled at me as I was wiping the floor with a sponge.

"Can you please focus on what you're doing and leave me working alone?" I yelled back at the pink haired boy that was cleaning one of the toilets of the bathroom.

Suddenly, a brick went through the bathroom window, as I dodged from it, hitting my chin on the floor, and sliding through the recently washed floor, making me go all the way across the room and hit my head on the wall.

"Are you okay?" Natsu said, walking to me and kneeling down.

"I'm fine. What was that?"

We both stood up and looked through the glassless window. Down in the campus were Laxus, and his goth partner. The blond muscular man waved at us as we peeked to see what had happened.

"Laxus…" I growled at the sight of that guy down there.

"What does he want?" Natsu wondered.

"It doesn't matter. C'mon, help me pick up the pieces of glass on the floor." I said, getting down on my knees again.

"Don't you want to see what was that for?"

"No, I don't. Now help me."

"I think I'm going to go down there…" My partner said, walking his way to the door, as I sighed with the boy's stupidity.

"No, Natsu…" I walked to him and put myself in front of the door, grabbing his arms in seriousness "We have work to do, now let's forget about Laxus and get to it."

"What? Let me go! Just because you're too afraid of Laxus…"

"I'm afraid of him? You're afraid of him! You're the one who thinks that we should go down and talk to him just because he threw a brick at our heads!"

"Fine, maybe I do, now get out!"

He threw me to the side, making me fall on my butt on the floor, as he got out of the bathroom.

"No, Natsu… Why does he has to be so stupid?!" I complained to myself and ran through the door to follow that stupid idiot.

With my shoes wet I went down the stairs running, almost falling two or three times, as I heard Natsu's steps in front of me.

"Where is the other boy?"

Laxus finished that sentence at the exact moment that I ran out of the building. I rested my hands on my knees, completely breathless.

"Great, here he is." He said, tapping his hands on my arched back.

"What do you want?" I said, catching my breath and getting up, looking directly into his threatening eyes.

"As you know, I am the president of the Kappa Thunder fraternity, and I am granting you the honor of inviting you to participate on the admission tests." I looked at him with indifference, lifting my eyebrows up.

"Really?" I heard Natsu say by my side, trying to contain his excitement but failing. I looked at him not believing that he was actually buying that stuff and stepped on his foot. "Ouch!" He yelled, lifting his injured foot up and grabbing it with his hands.

"I mean, the selection has already taken place, and some of tests have already happened…" he paused for dramatic effect "Doesn't that make even more of an honorary symbol the fact that I, myself, am asking you to participate on an event that may or may not allow to enter on a fraternity, of which I, myself, am, also, president? You can even say that it's kind of unfair to the other pledges…" Laxus said all that walking from one side to another, getting faster and faster with excitement as the speech grew.

"And why do you want us?" I asked with neglect and arrogance.

"Elementary, my dear Watson!" He said, pointing at me, but looking to the other side. "I guess, you just… caught my attention…"

"Your attention…?" Natsu inquired, expressing my confusion.

"So to speak…" Laxus turned over to my pink haired colleague as he answered. "Anyway, the final test will take place Saturday, during Kappa Thunder's own party to welcome the new students, it is the perfect cover up. All you have to do is show at the party, and the rest will explain itself…"

Laxus turned around and started to walk away, he snapped his fingers, giving the other boy the signal to start moving along with him. Still in shock with the whole thing I managed a way to form the words inside of me and shot;

"And what makes you assume we will be there?"

He stopped walking for a few seconds before turning over to us, making my whole body be covered in chills. He then made an audible smile and turned around again, walking at our directions, firmly even though he was acting like he wasn't bothered by what I'd just said. He stopped right in front of me, and since he was much taller, I had to look up to see his face, which made me even scarier.

"Listen, Gray, is it?" He landed his heavy hand in my shoulder, which made me shake inside, while I was still trying to pull off the brave stunt on the outside. "Do you really think you have a choice?" A grim smile was stamped across his face, as I tried to figure out what to say next, but nothing came out. "Let's go!"

Laxus and his gothic sidekick walked away, leaving me and an as much terrified Natsu behind.

…

"Hey." I heard a voice whisper from my left side, as I was picking up a portion of mashed potatoes with a spoon and dropping it on my plate.

"Erza?" I said, seeing that she was the one talking to me. "Why are you whispering?"

"Dramatic effect. Anyway, I want to talk to you."

"Go ahead." I spoke, putting a piece of fried chicken next to the mashed potatoes.

"It is about Laxus."

"Laxus? Wait, you saw that last night?" As I asked that I turned around to see her face.

"Yes, of course I saw. I was watching from a distance."

"Excuse me, are you guys done?" Some girl barged in on us, complaining about us disturbing the line of the cafeteria.

"Yes, sorry."

I pushed Erza away by her arm, still facing her, as we distanced ourselves from the food area.

"So, why were you doing that?"

"Are you kidding me, I am always spying on that kid…" I took a while to assimilate how strange that sentence was, before getting back to the conversation.

"Anyway, you don't need to worry, I am not going to do it."

"No, you see, you _have_ to do it!" I looked at her with estrangement as those words came out of the ginger's lips.

"What?! Are you talking about the test to be accepted at that stupid fraternity?"

"Yes, the test. You have to do it."

"Why?!"

"Look, even I know that is not a smart move to mess with that Laxus kid. That guy is trouble. I know is unfair, but this kind of people have everything they set their minds onto, and, right now, he wants to mess up with you and that pink hair guy, and he is going to do it, the easy way or the hard way."

"What?! I can believe you're saying this. _You_ of all people. I mean, the way stood up to him yesterday, that was awesome! And also, kind of hot…"

"Yeah, but I am one person, you are another, this tough image I have, it wasn't easy to build you know. Besides, you're a boy, a _freshman_ boy, that makes it way easier to hurt you. Kids like Laxus are not the type of people you want to have you on their bad side, believe me. He is grandson of the dean, that means he can get away with anything. He has done some pretty disturbed things over here…"

"Fine!" My voice came out louder than I expected. I was tired of hearing to that speech. "But look, isn't it time for someone to step up to kids like him? I will not be bullied!"

"That is your call… But if you're not going to listen to me, at least pass my advice on to your other friend? I mean, that tough act, is just pretend." Erza said in a creepy way, as she walked past the tables in the hall.

I shook my head in disbelief at the conversation that had just occurred. Then, my eyes clocked Natsu sitting with some physical education students. I went to him with determination, and sat next to him, dropping my tray at the table, as he sucked one spaghetti into his mouth. He looked at me surprised, with tomato sauce all around his lips, which made me roll my eyes.

"I need to talk to you!" After I said that I realized that the eyes of the kids also sat at that table were all directed at me.

"Speak away". Still facing the kids that wouldn't stop looking at me, I rolled my eyes again and looked back at Natsu.

"It's about Laxus and that whole fraternity thing…" Now I was whispering thanks to the intruders, who had since came back to whatever was on their plates.

"I know, right? How cool was that?"

"What?!" Again, my voice came louder than intended, and I came back to whispering. "What are you talking about? He was outright threatening us! Are you crazy?!"

"That is how _you_ see it. The way _I_ see it, he was just having fun with our sorry asses, and legit want us to join his fraternity."

"What, he decided to do charity all of a sudden?"

"Look…" Natsu's mouth was full of pasta, but that didn't keep him away from talking. "You do what you want, and I do what I want, okay?"

He faced me and a piece of spaghetti came out of his mouth directly into my left cheek. In disgust, I passed my finger through it, taking the piece of food off.

"I just want to give you some friendly advice. We can stand up towards Laxus, we can end his reign of terror. Imagine how many skinny kids we will prevent from being bullied if we just…"

"What? We decide not to go? And then what? He comes back again and bullies us some more? At least if we enter the fraternity we will have the chance to be one of them. Haven't you ever wanted to be like that?" My eyes got lost, as I started to listen to what Natsu was saying, realizing that, although it hurt me to say it, he might've been right.

"No!" Again, I unnoticedly yelled, this time more towards me than at anybody else, as I realized Natsu's reasoning was stupid. "Do what you want, but I will not lower my head towards some _dictator_."

"Fine!" The pink haired boy yelled at me as I stood up with my tray in hands and left him there.

…

It was Saturday night, and I was lying in bed with only my underwear on, watching tv, while Loki was testing shirts to go to that damn party, asking me for advice.

"What about this one?" He asked about the black dress shirt he had just put on.

"Its fine… Can you get out of the way, I'm trying to watch it."

"Gray…" My roommate came towards me, sitting on my bed. "Are you sure you don't want to go?"

" _No_." That discussion was getting really tiresome.

"But why not? I mean, you're clearly not going to sleep…"

"I have my own reasons. Now, can you please excuse me, I'm trying to watch TV."

"Fine…" Loki sighed, getting up. "Anyways, I'm out…"

As the orange haired boy was getting out the door, I remembered the last thing I needed to say to him.

"Hey, Loki!"

"Yeah…?" My friend faced back at the room.

"Remember to keep an eye on Natsu, and call me if you see anything strange."

"Oh yeah, that reminds me… Why do you want me to do that for?"

"I said, I have my own reasons." He faced back towards the hall as I shouted. "But it's really important!"

"Got it!"

Loki went his way, and I stretched myself in the bed, getting comfortable, lying my head in the pillow. As I was watching reruns of _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ , my head would only focus on Natsu and if he was getting in any kind of trouble.

Maybe I should have gone to the party, if only to keep an eye on that cherry haired idiot. And what if it was a stupid move to defy Laxus like that? What if I was buying a one-way ticket to hell? What if that move cost me a pleasant college experience? I mean, I would be there for four years, it would only be wise to make the most out of them…

" _No_!" I yelled in my head, at myself, as I was throwing all of my ideals away. That wasn't the time and the place to be doubting myself. Natsu was too big of a man to know what he was doing. " _Or was he?_ ". Those thoughts came running through my mind as I was trying to assure myself I was doing the right thing. I couldn't take this anymore. I rushed to the coffee table where my phone was, and extended my hand to get it. Quickly I dialed Loki's number and waited impatiently for him to answer.

"Loki?!" I unintentionally yelled as he answered.

"Gray, my man!" He was clearly drunk.

"Loki, listen to me…" As I was talking I could hear loud music and conversations coming from the other side of the line, pressing the cellphone towards my ear so I could hear better. "Are you keeping an eye on Natsu?" I waited for him to respond, but couldn't hear anything besides the various distinct sounds coming from the party. "Loki!"

"Yeah!" My roommate said, like he just remembered I was there. "What do you want?"

"Loki, this is important! Where is Natsu? Are you keeping an eye on him?"

"I don't know where he is. He is probably having fun, like you should be having too!"

"Loki, you had one job!"

"Fine! Geez… I'll be right back." My friend said, probably to some girl he was making out with. "I'm looking, but it's hard to see, it's dark in here."

"Well, keep looking!"

I waited in silence, as Loki searched for the idiot with pink hair, who was giving me tremendous headaches.

"Ah!" The boy on the other side of the line suddenly yelled, making my ear hurt.

"What?!"

"I found him. Or, he found me…"

"Wait, is he there?!"

"Yeah, he wants to talk to you…"

"Okay, give the phone to him then!"

"Sure thing, boss…" I rolled my eyes at his sarcasm.

"Gray!"

"Natsu!"

"What are you doing you idiot?" He started to whisper.

"Okay, you're gonna have to speak up."

"Look, you have to come here. Laxus is not pleased."

"Laxus? What is going on?"

"We are waiting on you to start. You better show your ass to this party, or things are not going to get easy for you."

"What? No! And if you are smart you are going to do the same thing as me and get out of there."

"Stop acting like an idiot and come here!"

"What? Nat…" I couldn't finish my sentence, as the call was terminated on me.

I growled in anger realizing that boy's stupidity. Seeing like there was no other way around that situation, I got up, picked up a pair of jeans that were lying on the floor, alongside an orange t-shirt, picked up some shoes and got out of the bedroom, to the rescue of that idiot Natsu.

…

I got into the house, in the middle of the party. Everything was already a mess, vomit and party cups all over the floor. The music was stupendously loud, and the mixture of conversations was giving me a headache. I really wasn't in the mood for a party. As soon as I put my feet in the first step of the balcony, I felt someone pushing my arm to the side.

"Natsu!" I yelled in surprise and relieve of finally seeing the guy who was really giving me a headache during the whole week. "What are you doing? Where are you taking me?" The pink haired idiot completely ignored my questions, as he kept pushing me around the house.

"You have any idea of the kind of trouble you'd be in if you didn't show up?" He was walking fast while pushing me, making it hard for me to follow, constantly tripping around.

"I don't care." I stopped walking and pushed him by the fist, making him face me. "You don't have to be a part of this stupid game. I came to take you home."

Natsu didn't show any expression in his face while I said that, and as soon as I finished he continue to push me down the arm, as I told him to stop, without doing any effort to make him do it. The truth was that I couldn't just leave him, if he was going to participate on that stupid fraternity test, I had to be with him, to keep an eye on him. There was something about his childish figure that made me worry of what could happen to him.

Finally, we were on the other side of the house. There was a set of stairs going down on the ground, to a black door, which probably let to the basement. I let Natsu lead the way down those steps, still holding my arm, and then knock the door three times, stop for a few seconds, and knock another five times. After that the peephole opened, and an unusual deep voice said;

"Password?"

"Raijinshuu" Natsu answered.

The peephole closed and the door was opened. Natsu then proceeded to pull me into the unusual dark room. The only thing lighting it was a set of candles, in circles, on top a circular table. Sitting there, were five people, one of them I recognized as Laxus. Also there, was the goth skinny boy that was Laxus partner at the cleaning team. There also were three empty sits, which I figured one was for me, the other for Natsu, and the third one for the big muscular kid that opened the door for us, who was wearing a mask for some weird reason.

"Here they are!" Laxus said with unusual joy at the sight of us.

I was still confused with everything that was going on, when Natsu threw me at one of the empty chairs, continuing to go around the table at sit at the one right in front of me. The masked guy sat at the place next to Laxus.

"Now that our final guests are finally here, we can begin."

"Excuse me Laxus…" The man on a mask said, now in his usual voice. "Shouldn't we give some kind of punishment to the late ones?"

"All in its time, Bickslow." The blond said to his friend, apparently not very pleased with the interruption.

"Of course." Bickslow redeemed himself.

I looked around to see who else was also there. My eyes popped when I saw Freed Justine, the kid who got the biggest grade on the admission exam, sat there on the circle. He had the serious expression he had when reading the speech on the auditorium, and the same long green hair. Also there, was a muscular, big guy with white hair and a mysterious figure who was hidden his face with a grey hood.

"Now that everyone is here, lets explain what the last test is, shall we?"

With those words from Laxus, Bickslow suddenly placed a stretched campus map on the table, and later proceeded to place two miniature statues of Mavis, the school mascot, in key places.

"There are two Mavis statues on campus…" Laxus began to explain. "One in front of the chemistry lab, and one in front of the movie theater." I swallowed dry as he began to talk, realizing that nothing good could come of it. "Your job is to take both this statues from their place, and then proceed to dismantle it into designated pieces. After that, you'll have to take each piece into a designated place on campus.

While the grandson of Makarov Dreyar explained, dead silence reigned the room, since everyone was keeping their reactions to that ridiculous plan to themselves. My teeth were clenched as the blond man explained the sick test, and I pressed my hands real hard into fists in order to keep calm and not do anything. Something told me that this prank was bound to go wrong, especially since Laxus demanded me and Natsu to participate in it.

"Excuse me…" A thin voice echoed across the room, and all eyes turned to the mysterious person hiding their face in a hood. Then, they cleaned their throat, and spoke with a deeper voice. "Excuse me, Laxus, sir, but aren't there policemen on campus, during the night?"

"I wouldn't worry about that Everblue. Let's just say being the grandson of the dean offers you a few conveniences…"

"How about a _lot_ of them…" I thought to myself.

"Anyway…" Laxus got back to his explanation. "There are only three spots left to join Thunder Kappa, so we will divide you into groups of three. The first group to distribute the pieces correctly and get here first wins. Are we clear?"

"Yes." Everyone said in unison, except for me.

"Yes." Distracted, I said a little bit later.

"So, as usual, let's finish our meeting by saying the prayer to the All Mighty God of Thunder."

I looked at Natsu confused, since I didn't know how this stupid prayer went, and he retributed me the blank look I was giving him. Everyone held their hands together, as me and cherry-tree head mumbled some pretend words. As everyone finished, the gothic skinny guy asked;

"But wait, where are our tools to get the statue and dismantle it?"

"Excellent question, Morty." Laxus responded. "But first, look behind your chairs, and see the numbers on it." The number on mine was four. "Now, everyone with an even number go to the left, and the odd numbers, to the right."

Soon, I was standing side by side with Freed Justine, and, luckily Natsu. In front of us, on the other side, were Morty, Everblue, and the muscular white-haired man.

"This are your teams. Bickslow, accompany the odd numbers, please."

"Sure thing, Laxus." Bickslow said.

The masked man, then, took a wooden box from under the table and he walked with it to the odd numbers group. Out of it, he took three sleeping masks and distributed them among the three guys (if Everblue was one, I mean). Blindfolded, he, then, took a rope and tied their wrists together, and then, tied his own fist, proceeding to walk away from the room, with the pledges following them, in line.

"Good luck, Natsu." The big man with white hair said, as he was blindfolded and following Bickslow.

"You too, Elfman." Natsu yelled back, as I turned my face over to him, surprised by the fact that he knew who that man was.

"Now you people." Laxus smiled at us. "First, Freed." He gave the green haired man a mask, followed by a slap in the bum. Freed blushed and let a shy smile appear on his face. My eyes slightly popped at that scene. I looked at Natsu's direction, but he wasn't paying much attention. "Now, my boys!" The brawny kid in front of us said, sarcastically. He gave me and Natsu a mask.

After I put the mask on, I started to feel the ropes, pressing my left wrist, as Laxus tied them around it. After, I could hear as he did the same thing to the other two guys standing next to me, and, later, to himself. I was the first in line, after Laxus, and could feel him walking and pushing us with him.

First, we had to be careful with the stairs to the basement, since Laxus didn't bother warning us. And I tripped a few times, almost falling. Then I could feel we walking on grass, at the party house lawn. I could hear the sound of music and people's conversation slowly fading away, as we continued to walk into the campus. Soon, everything was dead silent, and I could hear only the breath of those people walking alongside me, with the chilly breeze of midnight hitting on my face.

After what felt like a good twenty minutes' time of walking, Laxus finally stop, making Freed fell over Natsu, who fell over me, who fell over Laxus, like a domino. Since Laxus was really big and heavy, he didn't move, and my head hurt by meeting his back. Then the three of us fell on the ground.

"Wake up, woosies, we're here." Laxus' provocative deep voice said.

As I took off my mask, I realized we were by the school's lake. In front of my eyes I met a small sized, yellow, crane. While I was still trying to figure out what was going to happen next, Laxus proceeded to untie us from the rope. As he did that, we all got up again and waited for the next command.

"So, this is it. You'll find the rest of the instructions inside the vehicle. I have high hopes for you." The grandson of the dean said, point his fingers towards us in the form of guns. I could hear Freed smirk as he said that and turned my face over to him. I knew some shit was gonna go down.

As Laxus turned his back towards us and continued to walk away, Freed took the lead.

"Okay, let's do this!" He said.

All three of us got into the crane, Freed got the driver's sit, I was in the middle, and Natsu at the point. Without him realizing, I look to the boy with pink hair smiling, in relief, that we were in the same team, even though I had full conscious that it was premeditated. My thoughts were soon interrupted by Freed's voice.

"It says right here that we have to pick up the statue in front of the chemistry lab." The smart man said, by reading from the envelope that was left on the drivers sit. "Then we have to leave the pieces on the places that are indicated on this map." Freed then proceeded to take a map out of the envelope.

As the green haired guy was telling us what to do, Natsu was grumbling, looking out the window. Finally, Freed had it with Natsu's attitude.

"Hey! What is your problem?!"

"Sorry, are you talking to me?"

I rolled my eyes, as I was caught literally in the middle of a fight, and the shouts and screams were going directly into my ears.

"No, at the big foot standing outside the car. Yes, I am talking to you! You did nothing all night but stare at me with an ugly face and mumble some shit whenever I said something!"

"Funny how you can't take that, but can easily live with yourself after what you did to Lucy!"

"Lucy…? What does she have to do with it?"

"Take a guess, Sherlock, she is my girlfriend!"

"Well, you can tell your girlfriend, for the hundredth time, that I didn't sabotaged her on purpose, and that she has got to grow up, and accept the fact that she is not as smart as she thinks she is!"

Natsu then, jumped at Freed and grabbed him by the collar of the shirt, fist closed ready to punch the guy, when I jumped in.

"Stop!" I got up, and pushed each of them back to their respective sits. "Look, I don't give a shit about the problems you may have with each other. The fact is we are about to commit some really serious felonies, and if we don't commit we might get in real trouble. So please, calm your asses down, and stop shouting at my ears!"

Silence came back to haunt the inside of the crane. Freed sighed and started the vehicle. Soon we were out of the woods surrounding the lake and starting driving through the deserted campus. Soon, we got to the chemistry lab, and the Mavis statue was there.

Mavis was known as a fairy that blessed the founder of the university. Rumors had it that she appeared to him every night as a child, and she was the one that implemented the idea on his hair to found the institution. She was a little girl, with blond hair all the way down to her feet. In the portraits of her, including the statue, she was always wearing a huge dress, that was said to have been pink, and also had a typical pair of huge wings, as fairies do. Of course, the statue, wasn't painted and was all in green, like copper statues usually are.

"Natsu, there is a rope behind the crane. You have to tie the statue, so we can push it by the rope."

"Don't tell me what to do…" The stupid guy by the window answered as Freed was giving him instructions. I proceeded to poke his arm with my elbow in reprehension. "Fine…" He sighed and left the car.

"Gray, you're the one that's gotta handle the crane and withdraw the statue from the ground." I sighed at Freed's command.

"Fine…"

We watched as Natsu tried to tie Mavis up. He climbed her a few times, since, apparently, her body was really slippy, and passed the know through her head, tying it up when it got to her belly. Then, he made a positive sign with his thumb. I didn't trust his tying abilities one bit, but there wasn't much to do. I only thanked that this crane was positioned at the front of the car, and not behind.

Scarred for my life, I handled the lever, sweating cold. I picked Mavis up by the rope, praying that she wouldn't slip, while Freed was giving me directions. As I turned the crane around so I could deposit the statue safely in the space behind the truck, Natsu went around the vehicle and started giving me directions, of which I trusted far less than Freed's.

"The rope will burst!" I heard him yelled from behind the car.

"Shit! What do I do?!" I looked at Freed's face, panicking.

"Calm down! Just do what you're doing, at let the statue down with ease."

"Shit!"

I started to pull the lever down, when suddenly a loud noise echoed from behind the vehicle.

"Shit!" Freed shouted.

"It's okay." Natsu reappeared from behind and put his head inside from the window. "The statue didn't break."

The pink haired guy entered the car again, and Freed drove back to the lake at full speed. My heart was jumping out of my chest, as cold drops of sweat came running down my neck and forehead. When the skinny guy behind the wheel finally stopped, reaching our destination, I landed my hand at the car's glass and breathed deeply, while adrenaline was possessing my body.

"Calm down, grandma, we still got work to do." Freed said, getting out of the car, slamming the door behind him.

"Are you okay?" Natsu asked, touching my shoulder, as my eyes met his face with surprise.

"Yeah…"

He opened the door and we both got out of the car. Freed came to us with a shovel that he picked up from behind the vehicle.

"You, start digging." He threw the object at me.

"For what?"

"It said on the envelope that we have to dig where there's an orange leaf."

"There it is." Natsu said, clocking said leaf a few steps left from us.

"Ok, I'll dig. But are you going to do?"

"I'll watch you." Freed answered with a cynic smile, resting his back on the crane car.

I rolled my eyes and started digging, soon I fell something. It was a blue box. With Natsu's help I pulled it over, and opened it. Inside there was a circular saw.

"So what, are we supposed to dismantle the statue with this?"

"Exactly." Freed answered me. "I was thinking pink hair could do it, since you already dug and everything."

Angered by the skinny man's laziness, Natsu advanced over to him, but I put a hand on his chest trying to calm him down.

"Just do as he says, the sooner we get this over with, the better."

Still irritated, Natsu took the saw and went around the car, to the statue. I sat down on the ground, as I could hear the object's noise by being manipulated by Natsu.

"So, what's your story?" I tried to make some conversation with Freed to pass the time.

"Are you talking with me?" He was surprised by my sudden interest, and I confirmed with my head. "Well, I am a boy from Kyoto, I studied hard all my life to fulfil my parent's goals to enter a big university, I come from a prep school and I had the biggest results at the admission exams, so now I am here."

"Okay, but why are you doing _this_? Why is it important to be accepted into a fraternity? The way I see it, you've already won at life, I mean, you had the biggest results at the admission exams, for god's sake!"

"Yeah, well, maybe you won't understand this, but try to figure out how it must feel for a person to live their whole life preparing for some stupid exam. With no friends, no free time, with their parents watching their every move and pressuring them to do well… And after this moment passes, what is that person going to do with their lives? I mean, my whole life was building up to those exams, and now that they are over, who am I? What's my life going to be like? Isn't it time to get some well deserved rest? To make friends? To hang out with the popular people for once, instead of be bullied by them?"

"I see…" I said, quietly. Perhaps, there was more depth into Freed's character then I initially saw, and I felt really sympathetic by his story. "So, why is your hair green?" I said after a few seconds of silence, trying to break the ice.

"I don't even know. It was some stupid move I did after I took those goddamn exams. Trying to find some personality within myself, I guess… I was just so stressed out, and mad at my parents, I just needed to make a statement."

"And what were you so mad about?"

"Try to figure out how you would feel, if your life long goal in life was suddenly crushed by some stupid popular girl, who didn't even study as hard as you did during your whole life, getting higher scores than you did?"

My mouth dropped as he said those words. So, Freed was confirming right to my face that Natsu's complaints about him were right, while still having a straight face on. As I tried to figure out the words to formulate a sentence, the saw's noise finally stopped and Natsu shouted;

"Hey, idiots! It's done!"

With the most natural expression on his face, the green haired boy left me sitting on the ground and went to Natsu's encounter. Still shaken, I got up and followed him.

Natsu had cut the fairy's statue into three pieces, the head, the chest, and the legs.

"So, what now?" He asked, turning his head over to Freed.

"Now we have to leave each piece into its designated place, as said on the envelope. Let's roll."

We three got back into the car and came back into driving around the deserted campus, while none of us spoke a word. I was still shocked after my conversation with Freed. A few very unconformable minutes later, the skinny boy stopped the car.

"We're here." He said.

I looked out the window and we stopped in front of a huge white house with a big garden in front of it.

"What, we have to break in into this house or something?"

"That's exactly what we have to do." Freed said like it was the most natural thing in the world and got out the car, slamming the door. Me and Natsu followed him. He was behind the vehicle, waiting on us. "Now you both are going to have to carry one of these parts."

"No way, we've already done a lot. When are you going to do something man?" Natsu yelled and the bossy figure with green hair.

"You wouldn't be saying this if you knew what I have on my pocket…" He said, taking out from it a set of three keys, shaking them in front of us. "Now do as you're told!"

I pressed my hands into fists really hard not to jump at Freed's throat. He was starting to get to me. But I knew, as soon as we ended that shit show, the better. So, me and Natsu picked up the legs of the statue, it was really heavy, and Natsu had to lead the way to me, since I was walking on my back. After what felt like hours, we reached the door. Freed put in the wrong keys a couples of times in the lock, and I was almost dropping the statue to attack him. When he finally opened, my back was already destroyed. Then, we got in, the living room was dark, but I could see how fancy the furniture was, and how big the room itself was. The green haired boy said we could drop the piece of Mavis anywhere, and we both sighed in relieve, letting the legs of the fairy go in the middle of the living room.

After that, we stopped on another huge house, broke in and left Mavis chest in the middle of the living room. And again, me and Natsu had to do all the hard work. Coming back to the car, I felt my back would split in half. Taking a deep breath, I asked;

"What are those places? They look like big fraternity houses." Then my eyes met Freed's face as he drove away, without a single expression. That was my answer. "They are, aren't they? What is Laxus' plan? He is going to scatter the statues around the rival fraternities and sororities on campus?"

"Not exactly…" Our driver answered.

My conversation with Freed was interrupted by sudden heavy drops of rain hitting the car's glass.

"Great, it's raining!" Natsu grumbled.

"Where did this come from?" I wondered.

"We're here." Freed said suddenly.

"But, isn't it…" My eyes were looking at the house from out the window. It was the same house where the party was happening, where we met in the basement earlier. "This is Kappa Thunder's house. Wait! This is Laxus' plan, right? He will scatter the statues' pieces around the big fraternity houses on campus, and the only fraternity who doesn't have a piece of those statues sitting in the middle of their living room will be deemed responsible…"

"You guys are trying to frame another fraternity!" Natsu complemented my thoughts.

"Ok, Sherlocks, now come on, we still got work to do." Freed said, slamming the door once again, as he stepped out of the car.

Natsu and I followed him, once again picking up the piece of the statue, this time it was the head, the only piece left. We walked again by the lawn behind the house, where no one was, while still listening to the loud music coming from the other side, while rain fell on our heads. Freed led the way to the stairs to the basement, where we were a few hours prior to that moment, when Laxus and Bickslow explained to us the rules to the stupid test we were accomplishing right now.

Pink head and I stopped by the top of the stairs, breathing deeply, wondering how the hell we were going to get down those steps with a big copper head on our hands, soaking wet.

"Screw it." Natsu said, proceeding to throw the head down the stairs.

My eyes popped as I saw that face going down those stairs, and I thanked god to the loud music, because the noise Mavis head was doing by rolling down wasn't low.

"Are you crazy?!" Freed yelled at us from down the stairs. "This could have fallen on my foot!"

"Well, but it didn't!" Natsu snapped back at the skinny boy and I smiled at his attitude. I never thought I would consider that a good thing.

We went down the stairs, holding the handrail so we wouldn't slip on the rain water. When we got down to the door, and Freed opened it, I sighed in relieve as it was finally done, and stretched my back.

"What are you doing?" The green haired kid asked, looking at us with contempt as me and Natsu entered the room.

"What?" ' _What was it this time_ ', I thought to myself.

"Don't you have a job to do?" Freed faced down to the statue's face in front of the door.

"What? You said we could drop it anywhere!" Natsu yelled once again.

"That was before. Here…" He picked up the tablecloth from the table we were sitting before, making all the candles, now all blown out, fell to the ground, and threw it at me. "Wrap it on this thing and follow me."

Natsu picked up the wet piece of copper from the ground outside and threw it on the ground inside.

"Leave it to me" I said, wrapping Mavis face with the cloth and lifting it up, while my back continued to hurt.

Freed led the way, climbing the stairs to the first floor, while I followed, with difficulty, since I was carrying a few kilos of copper with my bare hands, and Natsu was behind me, having to wait around as I climbed step by step. The stairs led us up to the kitchen, and Freed continued to lead the way to the living room, where the party was happening, as I shook in tension on how would I disguise the fact that I was very suspiciously carrying something really heavy into a sea of people. At least they would all be wasted.

I sighed in relieve by the fact that I was almost reaching my destination, another set of stairs, without no one saying anything. Then, suddenly;

"Gray!" A very drunk Loki appeared out of nowhere in front of me. "When did you get here man? Look, this guy is looking for you…"

"That's cool Loki, but I got to go…"

"What's that?" He asked, noticing the wrapped in cloth stuff in my hands.

"I don't have time to explain, excuse-me."

I maneuvered away from him, and got to Freed who was waiting on the stairs already, with Natsu following me. Luckily there weren't many people by those steps, and we climbed them again, my back aching with every move.

"It's here."

The skinny boy stopped in front of a door, that, luckily, was right in front of the stairs, so I wouldn't have to carry that stuff much longer. He opened to reveal someone's bedroom, and me and Natsu walked in.

"Just leave it by the bed." Dragging myself to the piece of furniture and with grand relieve, let Mavis head go, breathing deeply.

Then we heard a slamming noise, and both Natsu and I looked over to the door, that was closed.

"What in the hell?" Natsu asked himself and went over to the exit of the room, putting his hand on the doorknob. "It's locked."

"Very funny Freed, let us go." I said, without bothering much about that situation, then he started to talk over the phone, loud enough so that we could hear.

"Hello, campus police?"

"What the fuck?!" Natsu yelled yet again.

"Hi, I'm here at Kappa Thunder's fraternity house. I just saw two strange man walk in carrying something…"

"What kind of sick joke is that?!" Now I was yelling.

"Yes, they went up to the second floor. If you could just send someone…"

"Freed, stop that right now!"

"Yes, thank you."

"He is walking away…" Cherry-tree head said, with his ear pressed against the door. "That bastard!" He slammed the door. "What are we going to do?!"

"I knew it was stupid to come here. I knew it! But you had to come, you couldn't have just calmed your ass down, could you?!"

"Hey! I didn't ask you to come to my rescue!" Natsu came over to me and grabbed my collar. Our fists touched each other's face at the exact same time, as we both fell backwards.

I fell lying on the bed, and got up, sitting, rubbing the cheek where Natsu had just punched me.

"This is stupid. We shouldn't be fighting with each other, we should be figuring out a way to get out of here."

"Well, the door is locked…"

"But this isn't the only way, is it?" I said, realizing the window was facing the behinds of the house, and got up from the bed, as a plan started to pop on my head. I pushed the covers and the sheets from the bed.

"What are you doing?"

"Help me tie up this stuff together, the cloth too."

"What, we are going to climb down the stairs?"

"Exactly!"

And so, we tied up everything together, and finished it off by tying it to Mavis' head too, so it could support us. Then we threw that improvised rope off the window. Natsu climbed down first, and as I was climbing down, with rain still falling, I heard the sound of kissing coming from the window next to the one we were climbing out from. I stretched my neck and almost fell over with the sigh of Freed and Laxus both in their underwear, making out on top of a bed.

"Gray, are you coming?" Natsu asked, reminding me of what I was doing.

"Yeah…" I replied, still completely shocked. "Now, help me." I said, finally touching the floor, soaking wet yet again.

"With what?"

"Retrieving the face from the room."

"What?! No! Let's go!"

"No way, they tried to fuck with us, now we'll fuck with them."

"By doing what?!"

"I… I have a plan, okay? Now help me!"

We pushed the sheets back with all our strengths, trying to retrieve Mavis' face, when it finally got out of the window and came rolling down the roof, hitting the floor, making me thank god again for the loud music.

"Natsu!" We heard a deep voice call the pink head's name, and we both turned around, seeing that kid with the white hair, Elfman, coming near us. "So, you guys didn't get in neither, huh? Wait, is that the statue's face?"

"Elfman, we are kind of busy now…" Natsu replied.

"Can you believe what just happened? My team _won_ and they said they got any spot left for me, because their Freed from your team was already getting in, and I was the weakest one, so they had to let me go. Unbelievable! I mean, that guy, Everblue, was actually a girl named Evergreen, and they still let her in. They said they admired her commitment to disguise herself as a man only to be accepted. They can all go to hell, I'm telling you! And this test, break in into every fraternity house on campus except…

"That's great, Elfman, but we are busy!" Natsu yelled.

"No, wait. Do you know what is the only fraternity house that they didn't us to break into?" I asked.

"Yes, Dragon Omega…"

"Great! Natsu, can you carry this to the crane car, I got stuff to do." I said, running away.

"What kind of stuff?!" He yelled at me as I disappeared into the crowd.

Running away, I bumped into a kid with a camera on his neck.

"Hey, can you lend me this, really quick?"

"Yeah…" He said and I could feel alcohol breath into my nose.

As soon as I got the camera, I could hear someone yell out "Police!" and chaos erupted, everyone started running, dropping everything they had on their hands, yelling from the top of their lungs.

"Hey, you can give it to me later." The camera kid said, running away too.

I shook my head to what was happening and continued following my path towards the stairs, when suddenly someone called me.

"Gray." I looked to the side, and coming from a shadowed corner, was the boy I kissed during the law students party, in the first week. I blushed at sight of him.

"Hi…"

"I was looking for you." He came closer, putting his hand on my cheek. His smile and small beard still made me go weak at the knees. "I couldn't stop thinking about that kiss we shared ever since."

"How did you know my name…?" I asked, with a naughty smile.

"I did my research. I'm Caesar, by the way."

"It's great seeing you again Caesar…"

"It looks like the party is over… Do you want to do something…?" He was pulling my face closer to his, when suddenly, it hit me.

"The party…" I put my hand on his chest. "I can't right now, I'm in the middle of something. But, look for me…" I smiled at him, stepping away.

Shaking my head, I climbed the stairs running, with the camera in hands. Already in the hallway, I started to step softly, specially coming closer to the door of the bedroom Freed and Laxus were. I touched the door opened with ease, and took the flash off. I crawled my way in, and hid by the side of the closet, that was right by the door. Stretching the camera a little, I pressed the button, and took the camera away quickly.

"Did you hear anything?" I heard Freed ask.

"I didn't hear anything, come here…"

Just one more… I clicked the second picture and crawled away. Then I heard steps coming through the stairs. It was the police. Shit! I entered the bathroom, who was right next to Laxus' room. I pressed my back against the wall, trying not to breath too loudly.

"Is anyone there?" The officer asked, knocking on Laxus door.

"Yes. I'm coming." The blond answered, as I could hear something hit the floor, as I was sure it was Freed's body. "Yes, officer?"

"Somebody called us, saying there was someone suspicious walking in here, carrying something. Did you see something sir?"

"Oh no, I didn't, but you have you looked into the other rooms?"

"This door next to yours is locked, should we break in?"

"No, don't worry, I have the key."

I tried not to break into laughter, imagining Laxus' face realizing we had escaped. I waited anxiously, hearing he put the key into the lock, and when he finally opened it;

"Shit!" He cursed.

"What is it sir?"

"Nothing, officer…" I giggled a little imagining that scene.

"Wait, look." A third voice spoke. "It looks like they might have escaped. Look at those sheets."

As I heard the policemen walking into the room, I realized it was now or never. I took a deep breath, opened the bathroom door softly and crawled my way to the stairs, climbing them down trying to not make any noise. Sweating cold. I rushed to the door, it was still raining heavily. When I finally got out of there, feeling the water fall into my face, I sighed with relieve and waited a minute standing there, processing what had just happened. Then I ran away, when suddenly I was pulled over by a pair of hands. Scared, I faced whoever it was, waiting a split second to realize it was Natsu. He was breathing deeply, and so was I, as we were standing by the side of the house, with rain coming down our heads.

"What is your problem?!" He whispered.

"What?!" I whispered back and so the conversation went on.

"You almost killed me you know?! I thought you had been caught!" Natsu replied, his eyes were a mixture of anger and despair. I was surprised to see how shaken he was by this whole situation.

"Relax, I am here. What did you do with the head?" I tried to find a way out of that conversation, the way Natsu was looking at me was making me really uncomfortable, when I realized the piece of copper was nowhere to be found.

"I asked Elfman to deliver it to Dragon Omega…"

"You didn't come with?!" I asked, pretending to be mad if only to take the focus of that whole conversation off of me.

"How could I? You disappeared, you moron!" He pushed my shoulder with strength.

"I already said I didn't intend to!" I pushed his shoulder back. "Geez, what has gotten into you?!"

Natsu faced the floor, as I was confusedly seeing how sad his expression was, I just didn't expect him to be this sad. Suddenly, I realized he started to sob, and forcing my eyes to see amongst all the rain, I realized tears were coming down his face.

"Natsu, are you cry…"

He pushed me by my collar and pressed his lips against mine. My confusion soon faded away, as I closed my eyes and surrounded his neck with my arms. Our cold wet bodies pressed against each other, as I felt his cold nose touching his face and feeling the drops of rain coming down from it. His cold wet lips touching mine, our tongues dancing with one another, as I let him lead the way.

I pressed my body harder and harder against his with every move our mouths made. I grabbed his left cheek tightly, and he had to separate our mouths for a split second, to regain breath after that move. The rain still coming down on us, and our wet shirts glued with one another. He then pushed me back by my neck, his tongue went all in inside my mouth, and I pressed my hand even harder against his butt. Natsu crossed one of his legs, surrounding my own.

I was fully erected, and I could tell the same applied to him, as our tights were pressed against each other. I put my free hand inside his shirt, feeling his soaking wet body, with the drops coming down his perfectly sculptured abs, and I enjoyed every minute of my hand rubbing his belly, carving my nails into his pecks. It, then reached to Natsu's worked out chest, and I played with one his nipples with my thumb, making him once again separate our mouths so he could release a soft moan.

I took the chance, and started kissing his neck, sucking and biting his skin. I let go of his ass and his chest and took both my hands to his back, scratching it and carving my nails into it, pressing my body as hard as I could against the cherry head's, wishing I could just eat him up right there.

"G-Gray…" He said, with some difficulty.

"Yeah…?" I whispered while still exploring his neck with my mouth.

"I…" I pulled him even closer to me, as he slipped away. "I can't." He shot those words at me.

Disappointed, I let his body go. We were both still shaking and breathing deeply from that experience. I looked deep into Natsu's eyes, making him blush, and look away.

"I can't Gray!"

"I see…"

"I shouldn't… This shouldn't…" He tried to formulate a sentence, as I was still looking deeply into his face, as he faced the grass. Part of me wanted to grab him and finish what we started. "This shouldn't have happened, I'm sorry."

Natsu walked away, as I watched that head of pink hair disappear into the background. Still puffy and fully erect, I pressed my back against the house wall, still wondering in my head about what had just happened. If only I knew that was only the beginning.

By that same time the next day, Laxus' would already had receive a set of pictures that would send him the message not to mess with me nor Natsu for the rest of our lives at the university.


	3. October 15th, 2011 - The First Time

Hey everyone, thank you so much for all the amazing reviews. I will try to update a new chapter every Monday and Friday.

Anyway, enjoy this next one.

 _My body was pressed against his, with the sheets involving us. Natsu's body was warm, and we were both puffy, breathing deeply. I was on top of him, and I did a push up so I could see his face from a distance. We both smiled, looking deeply into one another's eyes. I smiled at sight of pink head's face, and he smiled back. My mouth was still a little dirty with his cum, and Natsu's smile grew by noticing that, which made my smile grow, I interrupted the push up, falling on his body, and pressed my lips against his, what a stupendous kiss…_

"Ah!" I got up suddenly, waking from my slumber.

It has been almost a week since Natsu and I kissed, and my life was hell ever since. I couldn't seem to get my mouth off of what happened, and, specially, of what _almost_ happened, all I could do about it was dream, and it happened every night, followed by me waking up, snapping out of those beautiful nightmares, hard as a rock. And I couldn't even touch myself, since Loki was right next to me.

"Dude!" My roommate grumbled half asleep. This was affecting him too.

"Sorry…" I whispered, and laid down again, my head meeting the pillow.

No matter what I did, I couldn't manage to go back to sleep. Turning over to one side, and to the other, pushing the sheets away, and then pulling them back on, nothing seemed to be helping. And my organ was still pulsing, hard, inside my boxer shorts. I kicked the air in frustration by the fact that Natsu got into my head, and there was no getting him out of there.

I mean, it was not like I asked for it, he was the one that started all of this. I had no idea he was craving me, and part of me wished that I would've remained this way. Now, that pink haired idiot wouldn't even look at me, whenever we met on campus, or in the dining hall, he would just blush and look away, and keep following his way.

Part of me just wanted to grab him by the wrist, and force him to look at me, deep into my eyes, and force him look at the damage he had done. I mean how dared him?! Drop a bomb like that at my arms and leave?!

And now I was forced to look at him from a distance, surrounded by his girlfriend, and her friends. I had to endure her hands surrounding his body, her head resting on his shoulder… But this wasn't on her. This was all him. Him and that stupid cherry-tree colored set of hair of his. And his smile. And his angry attitude. His strong arms, his pinky feet, his abs…

Ugh! Why would he do that to me? Why would he kiss me like that? I was so much better off not knowing, not having those… _feeling_ s. I couldn't take this anymore...

And now there was no way I would be falling back to sleep.

…

It was late night, I was sitting in one of the tables of the dining hall. Lights out, and only the moonlight that came from out the windows giving light to the room. We were all waiting around on Erza to appear and give us the orders. _Where was she_ , by the way?

My eyes met Laxus' from the other side of the room. He was staring deeply into my directions, with anger. I smirked at the sight of the all mighty grandson of the dean looking at me like a spoiled kid wo didn't get what he wanted. The whole reason he did that whole statue spectacle was because he was mad at his grandfather for giving me and Natsu only six months of community service, while he got eight. And now, after the test fiasco, he was down for another six months on the cleaning team. He didn't even bother to involve me and Natsu on the investigation to know who did steel those statues, guess he was to afraid that I would leak those very insinuative pictures of him and Freed to the whole university.

My eyes soon faded away from Laxus' face when the doors slammed, followed by loud complaints and pain groans.

"Ouch! It's hurting!"

My eyes popped in joy as I saw Erza come in, carrying Natsu by his ear, while he complained in vain. Pink head being absent from the cleaning team all week, claiming to be sick, and I was forced to do all the hard work. But that wasn't why I was happy to see him. No, my emotions where moved by libido alone.

"Now that everyone is finally here, we can begin." The ginger woman spoke.

"I can't be here, I'm sick!" After he said that, the pink haired boy looked at my direction, blushing and looking away a split second later.

"That is not what Mirajane said."

"This is not fair, you ambushed me! You took her to my room only to take my temperature, this is a complete invasion of privacy!"

Natsu's shouting echoed all over the room, while the rest of the people there giggled with his complaints.

"Anyway…" Erza wouldn't be bothered by his shouting "As I was saying, you have jobs to do. Get to work!" She clapped her hands, already her signature move when finishing to give orders, and everybody started to move.

Pink head looked at me again, with a cranky expression, and looked away, leading the way to the gymnasium, where we were supposed to clean the bathroom. I ran to him, as he got out of the hall, and stopped running with a meter or two separating us.

"So…" I tried to build up a conversation as we walked. "Haven't seen you all week…" Dead silence. "What have you been up to…?" That came out as natural as a clown's make up. Still, the only sound besides my voice was our steps. "Fine!" I grumbled, realizing that nothing would come out of Natsu's voice.

So, that made everything even more awkward, and silence reigned all the way up to the gymnasium's bathroom. There I opened the cabinet with the cleaning tools. Natsu's was looking the other way the whole time.

"Here!" I said to him with disdain, throwing the toilet brush at him, without giving him the chance to turn around, making it hit his back.

"Ouch!" He turned over angrily towards me, as I gave him an unapologetic look. He rubbed his head, ignoring it and took the brush from the floor.

Then, I took out of the cabinet the mop and the bucket. Soon, we were doing our work separately, with silence still reigning. Natsu only came near me to get the disinfectant from the cabinet, and that was it.

As I was rubbing the floor with the wet mop, after what felt like an eternity of silence, Natsu finally opened his mouth.

"You're doing it wrong…" I stood in shock for a few seconds, after finally hearing his voice speak to me again, but then proceeded to do my job, ignoring what just happened. Seeing that I wouldn't come back to being friendly that easy, he came to me. "Here." Natsu came from behind me and stretched his arms, to grab the mop, touching my hands. His body perfectly fitted alongside mine. "You have to really rub, spreading the detergent, see?"

Natsu moved the mop, our bodies coming back and forth, copying the objects movements, his tights docked into my behind. I breathed with difficulty with that temptation, his hands on mine. I could feel the volume start to grow inside my jeans.

I closed my eyes and enjoyed that sensation, but suddenly I fell back into reality, remembering how hard it was that past week, after he tempted me and then pushed me away. _But it was so good_ , I tried to convince myself to stay like that for just a few more minutes, but I couldn't. With a strong breath, I turned around and pushed Natsu away. The sound of the mop hitting the floor echoed across that bathroom.

"What the hell?!" Pink head yelled at me.

"Stop that Natsu! You think you can just come along and play with someone's feeling like that?!"

"But I wasn't…"

"Save it!" I interrupted him, hands closed into fists. "What do you think I am? Someone you can just fall back onto whenever you want?!"

"Gray…"

"No!" I made a sign for him to stop. "Just save it! I want… I just want to…"

I couldn't figure out an ending to that sentence. Natsu's eyes were looking straight into mine for the first time in what seemed like forever, and just that alone was driving me insane. I just couldn't help it. His body standing still right in front of me was enough to make me forget my line of reasoning. I lost sight of what the hell I was saying when my eyes met his lips, his pinky, juicy lips…

Suddenly, I pressed his body against the wall and pushed my mouth into his, pulling his figure by his ass, pressing it into mine. He responded to every move my tongue did inside his mouth, also pulling me closer to him. I could feel his bulge from inside his sweatpants. We were both gasping, breathing with difficulty. I slowly slid my hands inside his pants, entering his underwear. I could feel his hard member. I stopped the kissing to look into his eyes. Natsu looked down at my hand, then into my eyes and nodded, positively. I pressed my lips into his once more and grabbed his dick forcefully. Natsu separated his mouth from mine and looked up, letting go an acute scream. Maybe it was the fact that our faces were not glued together anymore, but a sense of reality came back into me.

"No…" I said with difficulty, letting Natsu's penis go.

"What…?" Pink head said, confused, still emerged in pleasure.

"I can't!" I took my hand off of his pants and separated our bodies, looking down, trying not to face him.

"But Gray…"

"No, Natsu!" I shouted, not giving him the opportunity to finish, "This past week has been hell for me. You're clearly not emotionally available, and I don't want to kid myself!"

"But Gray…" Angrily, I turned my face over to him. "I want this." He was serious, and looking directly into my eyes.

Shit, that was all I needed to hear. I ran to him, putting my hands on his shoulders, and kissed his lips hard. I lifted him up by his ass, and Natsu crossed his legs around mine, letting me carry him. Still kissing those lips, I dropped him in one of the showers. Quickly, we took our shirts off, and, as he moved his hands to his pants, I stopped him, landing mine into his bulge.

"Let me."

I got down on my knees, and started to kiss lower belly, sucking his belly button, and biting his skin. I came down with my mouth till it reached his pants. Then I craved my teeth on it and pulled them down, stopping to kiss his thick thigh as it appeared. When the pants were almost off, Natsu finished to take them off with his feet, he had already dropped his shoes off by the bathroom floor.

I then focused on his underwear, his penis was almost popping out of it. Again, I craved my teeth on it, and pulled it down, feeling his pubic hair against my lips. It turned out he was a natural blond. I couldn't help but smile with that newfound information.

Then, his dick popped out, finally free. My eyes popped with joy, realizing it was actually really thick, if not bigger than mine. It took a split second with me distracted by his fat penis before getting back to take that damn underwear off with my mouth. Finally, he was free, naked, exposed, right in front of me.

A dirty smile appeared across my face seeing that the head of his cock was also pink, just like the hair on his head. I licked my lips with thirst, ready to barge in. I kissed the side of the member, licked it also, gave it little bites, before going all in. Natsu was inhaling and exhaling, supporting his hands on the walls of that shower, breathing deeply, as I played with his tool.

I gave it one last long lick on the side of his dick, before putting it inside my mouth. The shock of his cold dick and my warm tongue made pink head's body visually shiver. I took my mouth away for a feel seconds, admiring that pinky head, the lower one I mean, and gave one little lick, making him squirt a little of pre-cum.

"Hold it."

In a single move, I put that cock inside my mouth. Natsu couldn't keep a loud moan inside. I looked up to him and he was pressing his hands against the sidewalls with every strength of his body, veins popping across his arms, looking for support, and his face was looking up, at the ceiling, mouth opened, screaming noiseless moans.

My hand went behind his body and pressed his ass tightly, trying to get his body even closer to me. Getting the message, Natsu landed his right foot on my shoulder, since I was kneeled down in front of him, at his disposal, and he could use my body as a support if he wanted to.

My tongue was exploring all of his pulsing member, as my mouth went in and out into his cock, and his foot pressing and letting go of my shoulder with every move I made with my lips, feeling that salty taste. Suddenly, I let his cock go and started to explore his groin area with my mouth and my teeth, biting and sucking it, feeling that blond hair on my lips, seeing the popping veins near his dick, I pressed his ass even harder while exploring his body.

Then, I suddenly stopped. My eyes went up, meeting Natsu's confused expression looking down on me, with watery eyes. He didn't understand, he needed more, his face was _begging_ for more. I smiled, dirtily, seeing his sorry face. My hand was grabbing his buns tighter than ever.

With one move I turned him over. Still confused, he lifted up his left leg and pressed his foot against the shower wall, in the perfect position, with his behind pointed directly at my face. I could see he had never played with his ass before. I opened his anus spat on it. Then, I put my thumb inside the orifice, spreading my saliva around. I could feel Natsu shake. He was noticeably tense with what would come next.

"Easy. There is no need to be worried about."

I bit his asshole with my canines, and licked that aperture. After taking my tongue out, I kissed it, gently, and kept kissing his cheeks and giving little bites here and there, carving my teeth into his meet, into that fat ass of his.

Then I got up, my knees were hurting. I grabbed him by his fat dick, and pressed my body against his, still wearing those damned jeans. My cock was pulsing inside, begging to come out. I started to kiss his neck, while he shook, still with his hands, and foot, pressed against the walls.

"Are you ready?" My mouth whispered into his ear, giving it a little bite.

"Y-Yeah…" Natsu stuttered.

I smiled with that response. It was time. In one move, I took my belt out, hitting his left cheek with it, before dropping it. It clacked against the floor. Without wasting anymore time locking my large bulge inside those damn jeans, I pulled them down, with my underwear, all at once. Not giving my dick anytime to breath, I pulled Natsu by his testicles and put my dick all into his asshole.

The pink haired boy couldn't help but to let a loud scream escape from his mouth, looking straight into the ceiling. I pressed my thumb hard against his cock, while going back and forth inside him, not to let him cum. With my other hand, I grabbed his pink set of hair and pulled it back real hard. Natsu couldn't help but scream, we were too horny to care if anybody could hear us. Seeing his face as he yelled in pleasure, I came back to kissing his neck. I could feel Natsu's piece of meat pulse, with my thumb still pressing it, begging to be released.

In between kissing his neck and watching that motherfucker's face while he shook and screamed and yelled, I couldn't help but smile at the sight of what a whore pink head actually was. I now he was all inside, I owned him, I was even controlling when he was allowed to cum. My dick was inside his prude asshole. I smirked. _Not anymore_. He shook and shivered as I moved my cock back and forth into his anus, yelling and shouting, and I was responsible for making Natsu go crazy. It was payback time for that time we met in the auditorium, and all those times where I heard him obnoxiously yelling, and all I wanted to do was jump towards him, make him stop. Now he was yelling, but at least it was for the right reasons. And the past week where all I wanted to do was exactly that. Burry my dick into his ass.

 _You just left me there Natsu. You made me taste your filthy little mouth and ran away. You left me with my hard friend, without even bothering to help me with it. I couldn't even touch myself, Natsu. Look at what you've done to me. Are you liking that, you son of a bitch? Then, you should know it's payback time. I bet your prude girlfriend doesn't let you do this kind of stuff, does she? And all you're left to do is come crawling to me, Mr. Fucker over here. And beg me to fuck you. The funny thing is Natsu, you've been fucking with me ever since we've first met. But. Not. Any. More._

I buried my cock harder and harder into his asshole as those thoughts continued to pop into my head, my breath was getting heavier and heavier, my calves were exhausted, they were begging for me to stop, but I still wanted more, I wanted him to beg. _Beg for me Natsu. Beg for me to let you go. Beg for me to set you free. Beg, motherfucker._

All of a sudden, I took my dick out. Natsu's screams gradually stopped, and all that could be heard was the sound of our breathing. I stopped kissing his neck, and stared deep into his eyes, while I kept pulling back his hair, forcing him to look at me. He was confused, as I looked at him dead eyed.

"You don't like that, huh? Now, you know how I feel…"

"G-Gray…" He tried to find the words, amongst his heavy breaths, as an evil smile appeared across my face. "Gray… I…"

"Beg, Natsu… Beg for me." I said with conviction.

"Gray…"

"What?"

"Gray, please…"

"What is it, Natsu?"

"F-… Fuck me."

With those words, my dirty smile became even bigger, as I deposited my dick inside his pulsing gap with all I got. Natsu's screams came back louder than ever, as he could feel me inside of him, possessing him.

His shouts got mixed up together with my moans, who were far more discrete than the man I was eating. He really was a _whore_ , after all. My eyes were twisting with pleasure, as I took my dick out of his asshole, and came back all in again. Tears came running down my eyes at the sight of that pink haired motherfucker squirming with pleasure, his body next to me. My legs were shaking, my feet were trembling, I rolled my eyes up, all I could see were blurs.

With one last move, one last violent putting inside of Natsu, I came, stupendously, like the head of my dick exploded inside of him, and I felt that warm liquid running through my cock. Right immediately, I let my thumb go out of pink head's tool, and his cum came blasting off of his second pink head, as he let his body go and fell into mine, as he was finally released.

Exhausted, we both looked into each other's eyes at the exact same time. His back pressed against my abs. I rubbed my thumb with a bit of his cum against my lips, and kissed him hard with it, with the last bit of strength there was still within me. He pulled me by the neck, pressing our lips even harder against each other, like he liked his own taste.

As the kiss was slowly fading, our faces kept close, the breathings from our noses and mouths hitting into each other's faces, as we smiled, looking into one another's expressions of care.

Not trying to ruin the moment, I asked the question;

"So, what now?" 


	4. January 14th, 2012 - The Heart Attack

"Dad." I say, entering the room.

It is cold in here. I always hated hospital rooms with their thousand shades of white. It's so unnatural, it's makes it impossible to feel at home there. Not that there it would be possible to feel at home in a place where there's a hospital bed with a sick person lying there, with thousands of tubes and wires glued to them, but the color palette sure didn't make things any easier.

"Gray." My father turns his head over to the door, where I'm standing. He smiles, but you can still see the concerned expression stamped across his face. The dark circles under his eyes are not helping the disguise, either.

"How is she?" I ask, coming in.

I look over to my mother, lying there, unconscious. This is the second heart attack she has had. I remember the shit show it was when the first one happened. But now it's a better situation. She has my father now, at least.

"She is fine. She is just sleeping now. She'll get better."

"Good." I say, putting my hand on my father's shoulder. He is sitting at an armchair, pointed to my mother's bed.

I look over to my father and can't help but smile. He has done good to my mother this past years, contradicting everyone's expectations.

"Silver…" We hear a week voice say, suddenly. Me and dad look over to my mom, who just woke up.

"Hey honey." He holds her hand. "Gray is here."

"Gray…?"

"Hey, mom." I kneel down on the floor, so we can be face to face. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm great." She smiles in irony. "You didn't have to come, you have stuff to do."

"Stop being silly mom, of course I had to." I hold her hand as well.

She smiles at me, like the way she used to do before going to work during my childhood, saying how much she loved me, and kissing me on the forehead. I respond with another smile. Her hands are warm, and her ebony hair, otherwise so tidy up on her head, is messy as hell.

She looks tired. It's very unusual to see my mom like that. But it is good to see her letting her guard down, for her to see she can count on us, and not just be the firm figure that everyone fall back into when there's trouble. For years, she sacrificed her own humanity to give the people in her life the illusion that she was a safety island that everyone could count on, without having any problems of her own. Now it's time for us to provide her that safe space she provided for all of us.

"I love you."

"I love you too, mom."

…

"So, Gray, what's going on in your life today?" She asks, as I sit down in the couch, seeing her in front of me.

This is forth session in two weeks, and I'm already start to feel the impact in my life. Everything seems lighter, especially me, like I'm getting huge weights of my back, one by one. Unless, of course, I think about him too much. But that's another conversation, the one I'm about to have right now, by the way.

"My mom, she had a heart attack. Yeah… But, it's okay. I mean, she's getting better. She already had one before, a few years back."

"And how does that mix up with all the emotions that you've been feeling?"

I look deeply at the psychiatrist sitting in front of me, trying to figure out an answer. _Man, that woman is good_. Her abilities to left me speechless at every session is uncanny.

"I guess, like everything lately, it falls back into old memories…"

…

I ran, slipping on leaves and twigs on the way. The uneven grass ground was not ideal for someone in a hurry. Finally, I got to my boyfriend, sitting in a picnic towel, right in front of the lake, like we agreed on. I arched my back, with my hands on my knees, taking a time to breath before I could say something. He was just sitting there, looking at me with a not very pleased expression on.

"I know…" I paused, still needing time to catch my breath. "I'm very late… I'm sorry, okay? I didn't intend to, I just…"

"Gray, it's okay…" Pink head said, unconvincingly, standing up and turning his back on me.

"No, no…" I ran to him and put myself in front of Natsu again. "I really am sorry. Let me make it up to you…" The pink haired boy started walking once more, and I put my hand on his chest for him to stop. "Please…?" His angry eyes were staring directly at mine, as I forced a smile to lighten the mood.

"Fine…" My boyfriend snorted. "Just help me carry the baskets and…"

"No, come on! Let me really make it up to you!"

"It's just frustrating Gray, I mean, we already had to reschedule two dates because you're busy with college, and I know it's serious, but you haven't had any time to be with me, and…" He started to throw up words at me, making me more ashamed of what I've just done.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry. Let's do something! Say, anything you want, I'll do it, I promise!"

"Anything?" A dirty smile formed on his lips, as he put his hands at my butt. "Well, then… I can actually think of something or two for you to do tonight…" He joined his body closer to mine, while his face was screaming second intentions. I smiled, uncomfortably as I heard those words. "What?" Natsu shot at me, seeing my expression.

"It's just, I just came here to apologize, I actually still have work to do, my group is waiting on me at the library…"

"Ugh! Forget it…" Pink head let me go and turned his back on me again.

"No, please!" I grabbed him by the wrist, making him turn around. "During the weekend. I promise, I'll be all yours."

"The weekend?" He looked at my eyes, still frustrated. "Fine, I can work with that. No excuses!"

"No. Excuses."

"Okay then." He smiled, and grabbed my hand that was holding him, kissing it.

Pink head, then, pulled me by that same hand, pressing our bodies together, and gave me a tender, passionate, kiss. That's why I loved him. Part of me just wanted to tear his flannel shirt apart, and start fucking him right there. Then, a beeping noise woke us both from our fantasies.

"What is that?" He asked slowly, with a threatening voice. The kissed was interrupted but our lips were still glued together.

"Shit, that's my phone."

I grabbed it from my pocket, taking it towards my ear, when Natsu grabbed my wrist.

"Give me that."

"What? No."

"You're not gonna answer it now Gray."

"I have to, it's this girl from my group…"

"No."

"Natsu!"

I tried to unleash myself from him, stretching my hand, so he wouldn't grab my phone. We were both laughing while I moved around so that he would let me go, while he was still holding tight to me, till I tripped, and we both fell, he on top of me. I accidently dropped my phone, and it slid towards the lake, falling on the water.

"Shit! My phone!" I poked the pink haired boy on top of me with my elbow, so he would get off.

"Oh shit! I'm sorry babe…"

"No, it's okay… It's just that… I have to go."

"I'm sorry…"

I got up, cleaning my pants from the dirt.

"No, it really is okay. The weekend, right?" I asked, putting my hand on his shoulder, as he looked at me with a contained smile.

"The weekend."

I pulled him closer for a soft kiss and followed my path. I just lost a phone, but I really didn't want us to keep fighting. The sooner Saturday came, the better, as we could keep on loving each other without obstacles on the way.

…

"So, you're going out with Natsu?" Loki, asked, as he watched me pass deodorant, sitting on his bed.

"That's right. And it's really important that you're not here when we come back".

"Aw, man, why don't you guys go to his bedroom, for once?"

"Because…" I paused for a second, putting a shirt on. "It stinks. And, his roommate isn't as comprehensible as you."

"Yeah, right. I wanted to play videogames."

"Here." I took some crumbled money bills out of my pocket and threw it at his direction.

"Oh, sweet! Thanks man."

"Yeah, yeah, just go do something fun and leave this room." I talked, as I left by the door.

I walked my way out of the campus, going to meet Natsu. Our plan was to catch a bus and go to this fair that settled itself by the west side of the city. Natsu had been wanting to go for a while, and I was also pretty excited, actually. In the small town I grew up in, there was a fair that was built during a whole week during the town's birthday. Those fairs were the highlights of my childhood. My heart sank when I thought about the fact that the town's anniversary was happening in that very same day.

Not that I would admit it, but I've been homesick actually. I missed the bedroom that was my shelter during the first eighteen years of my life, I've missed my fights with Lyon, the breakfast with him and my mom in the kitchen, the dinners in the living room, as we watched TV together, eating takeout food, in our underwear, as my brother yelled at me that I left my pants in the middle of the living room, forgetting that he'd done the same thing.

Tokyo was at the same time amazing and intimidating. It didn't have the cold winter breeze that my hometown had, the welcoming neighbors, the little candy store owned by Mrs. Nanase and Mr. Hazuki's dinner. There, everyone knew me since I was a baby in my mother's arms. She moved there from Tokyo actually, when I was three months old.

But, at the same time, I loved the glowing lights, and the smell of adventure waiting to happen that my new town had. The crowded streets, the giant skyscrapers, the food trucks at every corner. It was just that, sometimes, it was just a lot to take in all at once.

Lost in my thoughts, I was soon awaked by a motorcycle coming at the opposite direction as me at full speed. It suddenly turned left, stopping exactly in front of me. I shook at the sight of that vehicle sudden stop. Then I realized I knew that motorcycle.

"Lyon…?"

The person driving the vehicle, wearing a brown leather jacket, got out of their seat, and come towards me, still with a helmet on.

"What is your problem?!" That was definitely my brother's voice.

With a sudden move, he punched my face with all he got, making me fall on the floor, hitting my back. Still confused, I tried to formulate a sentence;

"L-Lyon…? What…?" He grabbed me by my collar, out of the floor, putting our faces really close.

"Don't you have a phone?! Why don't you answer a fucking call?!" He let me down, making me fall into my back again. He opened his helmet's visor, and started to walk back and forth, still shaking and trembling.

"Lyon…" I walked to him, getting up, and putting my hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you what happened, you moron!" My brother yelled at me, pushing my arm away. "Mom had a heart attack!"

"What…?"

"And apparently, you idiot doesn't know you have a phone, making me come all the way over here to drag you back to Snow Bent, because I can't do this alone!"

"Wait, what…? Mom had a heart attack?" Lyon arched his back, putting his hand on his knees, breathing with difficulty, clearly, he was having some sort of break down.

"I can't…" He stopped to get some air. "I can't do this alone, Gray…" He looked up towards me, tears pouring down his face.

"Lyon, come down… What happened to mom?"

"She… She…" My brother couldn't get himself to finish a sentence, as he was having problems to breath. "I don't know Gray, I don't know!" Lyon broke down into tears, and I ran to him, pressing my arms around him, into a hug.

"It's okay. I'm sorry. My phone fell into a lake… I don't have it anymore…" As I started to explain myself, Lyon got up and responded to my hug, resting his face into my shoulder. "Calm down. Mom's going to need you to be strong…"

"You're really being missed back at home, you moron."

"I know I am. But you're still there. And I know you can handle stuff, because we were raised by mom. That means we are the perfect mixture of sweet softy woosies and hard ass bitch bosses." Lyon laughed, calming himself down. "And I know you're perfectly capable of looking out for that lady I left at home at your cares. I know that because I look up to you too, Lyon.

"Oh, stop it." He got out of our hug, drying his tears with his hands. "You're just flattering myself."

"No, I'm not. I never said that, and if you tell anyone that I'm going to deny it, but, growing up with you, I always wished that I was a bit more like you, more in touch with my own emotions."

"And I always wished I was more like you. More determined and disciplined, more capable of getting the job done."

"But you are Lyon. Now calm down, and tell me exactly what happened to mom." He took a deep breath before starting to talk.

"I don't know. She was grocery shopping, and she just passed out in the middle of the supermarket. They got her into the hospital, and they called me at school. I panicked, I needed you there. You would know what to do, but you weren't answering your phone, so I just left Mrs. Nanase and Juvia there…"

"Juvia?!" I shivered at the name of my ex-girlfriend being spoken.

"Oh, not this now Gray!"

"Fine, fine. So, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

We both hop on my mother's motorcycle and went our way towards the university's exit. As we took the turn left, instead of right, I looked the other way, and remembered my plans with my boyfriend. I had completely forgotten.

"Natsu…" I said, as we drove away, and the other turn was getting distant.

"What was that?"

"Nothing we have to worry about now."

Getting my attention back at my mother and my brother, I begin to realize how rare were these moments with my brother. He is just a year younger than me, and we lived alone with my mother my entire life, having to fight for not only her attention, but since our town was really small, and we were always sharing schools, friends, and activities, we had to fight for nearly everything.

And I always envied Lyon's abilities to show his emotions. He was always coming back from school with drawings and cards to my mother, saying how much he loved her. And when he didn't like something, he would always throw a tantrum, and cry until he got what he wanted. I on the other hand, was much more led by my head, by logic, then by my emotions. And that made opening up to people much harder. And so, I always suspected my mother ended up being closer to Lyon than to me. That also made Lyon much more popular. When I was a kid, my friends were Lyon's friends. It was only on middle school that I found a friend group of my own.

The only time I could remember that Lyon and I shared a moment like that was during our early teen years. I found Lyon crying on his bedroom. At first, he pushed me away, but then he started to opened up to me, asking how did I do it, how could I be so persistent, how could I be much better at everything than he was. He said I was the good son, that I never got in trouble in school, that I took good grades without having to work hard for them. Meanwhile, I thought that he was the good son. He was much better at keeping conversations, he was always opened up to my mom at how much he loved her, sharing moments with her, while all I could do was watch. Whenever the three of us were together, I always thought she had the most fun being with him and not to me. But I didn't say anything. I just helped him calm down. And then I helped him face the reason of all that crying, his final exam. I studied with him. And he got an A. I'd never forget that night.

Our town, Snow Bend, was only an hour and a half away from Tokyo, and luckily, there wasn't much traffic at its direction. We didn't talk much during our trip, he just drove, while my arms were holding his abdomen, and the wind was blowing through our hair, as we hit the highway. Something out of a movie.

My heart warmed as I saw the plate " _Welcome to Snow Bend"_. It was the first time I've come back there since I moved to college. During Christmas, me, my mom, and Lyon went to an Inn in the mountains, it was a family tradition, that started when me and my brother were four and three years old, respectively. We were fighting a lot with each other, and complaining about the fact that there wasn't a Christmas tree in our house that year, when suddenly our mom picked us up by the arms and put us inside the car. Scarred, we looked into each other's eyes, as our mom went inside the house, and came back with three suitcases. As she drove away, we beg her not to abandon us, promising that we would behave, but she continued silent all the way to the end of the trip. What wasn't our surprise when she parked the car in front of a huge Inn in the mountains, while in our heads she would just abandon us in the snow, to be eaten by bears.

I grabbed Lyon tighter, as we entered that town that nursed me since I was three months old. I passed the town square, with the gazebo right in the center of it, the fair was taking place there, with the attractions and the stalls, and the very excited children running with their friends, holding a portion of cotton candy. _This used to be us_ , I thought looking back at my brother. Every Saturday the square would host a movie session outdoors. I smiled seeing as the snow started to fall. _Convenient_. I then I passed the school where I studied for four years, until I became _Todai Material_ , the dinner where mom would take me and Lyon every Friday after picking us up from school, and then we would pass by the candy store before going home. I was getting lost in memories with every street we crossed, with every turn we took, locations we passed by and people we spotted on the street, moving my head around from one side to the other, and the smile on my lips growing bigger and bigger.

I got lost for a minute, when Lyon parked the motorcycle, didn't understanding why we stopped. I wanted more of that ride down memory lane.

"We're here," My brother got out the vehicle as I look at his eyes for a split second before my senses came back to me.

"Sure." I tried to disguise my confusion.

We looked at one another's face, looking for support, before heading our way to the hospital stairs. I hated hospitals lighting, it made everything be even whiter, and cold, and unwelcoming. Once inside, Lyon led the way to the reception. He went to the receptionist, as I stood there, a few steps away from the balcony.

"Hi, I'm here to see my mom. Can you tell me if she's already in a room?"

"Yes, the name of the patient, please?"

"C'mon, Mrs. Kaname, you know who my mother is. It's me. Lyon. I went out with your daughter…" She stared at him, unamused", from her pink glasses.

"Fine!" My brother snorted. "It's Ur Fullbuster."

"Lyon!" We heard someone shouting his name, and both our heads turned to the voice's direction. "Oh, you're back. It's okay, they're with me." Mrs. Nanase said to the nurse. "Gray!" The woman said, noticing my presence. She came towards me, as I smiled blushingly, putting her hands on my shoulders, looking straight into my eyes. "We've missed you over here." A smile appeared on the woman's lips, as she squished me into a tight hug under her fat arms.

"I missed you, too." My voice weakened saying that.

She, then, proceeded to guide us to my mother's room, telling us all she needed now was to rest.

Mrs. Nanase was an old, chubby lady, with grey, short hair and was the owner of the candy store. She could not have kids, so she opened the shop to be closer to children. She was the one that took my mother in when she appeared by the town with me in her hands, and she always was like a grandmother figure for my family.

"It's just that, she's been so stressed lately. Since Meiko moved out she's been handling the school all by herself, and it has really been consuming her, you know? And then she was also in charge of the organization for the town's anniversary, and, well, you know, one can only do so much…"

She explained to us what happened in the way to the room. My mom was a swim teacher in the town's sport school, until the owner's move out and it closed. So, she started a project with her friend Meiko to open their very own school, and three years ago they managed to realize that dream. But, a few months ago Meiko got a job offer and moved out, leaving my mom the only in charge of the school.

"We're here." Mrs. Nanase turned over to us, stopping in front of the hospital room's door.

Me and Lyon exchanged looks and got inside, that was when I heard her voice.

"Lyon, you're back!"

Juvia stood up from the chair she was sitting in, seeing my brother walk in. That was when our eyes met.

" _ **No, please, it can't be over!"**_

" _ **I just can't do this anymore. I'm sorry."**_

 _ **The girl dropped on my feet, and hold my legs tightly, crying.**_

" _ **No, please! I love you, I'll do whatever it takes! I'll get better, I promise! Please Gray, don't leave me!" I freed my legs and I walked to the door.**_

" _ **You don't love me, Juvia. You love the idea of me. And it's honestly overwhelming. It isn't healthy, and it's exhausting me and you."**_

 _ **As I turned over to the door, a vase came flying through my head, hitting the wall. I turned around suddenly. Juvia was standing now, with a raging expression on her face.**_

" _ **You'll regret it! If you pass that door, I swear you'll regret it!"**_

 _ **All I could feel was pity for her. And anger towards myself to put Juvia and I on that situation. If I ended it when I started to notice the signs. Or better, if I never started it in the first place…**_

" _ **Bye Juvia…" I turned around again and got out of there, leaving her screaming and crying echoing through the hallway.**_

I turned my head down, blushing. Seeing my ex-girlfriend in the same room where my mother was, passed out, was more than I could handle.

"How is she?" My brother asked.

"The doctor said she is stabilized. All she needs now is some rest. He said she'll probably be discharged by tomorrow."

"That's is a relieve…" My brother sighted in alleviation.

He walked to her, who was on the other side of the room, and then the most bizarre thing happened. My brother grabbed my ex-girlfriend and kissed her. My eyes popped seeing that scene. What the hell was happening? This was too much to handle in one day. When they stopped that horrendous showcase of awkwardness, Juvia looked straight to me, visibly embarrassed, and then faced the floor. I took my eyes off of her and looked to my brother, who was surrounding her in his arms, wanting an explanation.

"I'm actually hungry." Lyon said, obviously trying to get himself out of that situation. "Gray, you want to grab something to eat?" I couldn't get myself from responding, as I was still shaking from that show he and Juvia put up for me.

"Go my dears, me and Juvia will stay here." Mrs. Nanase secured us.

As me and my brother walked out of there, I ran at his direction and put my hand on his shoulder stopping him.

"What the hell was that?!"

"What?" He turned over to me.

"Don't you play the fool with me, Lyon!"

"Dude, calm down. It's nothing major…"

"Nothing major?"

"Look, I know you have your own issues with Juvia, and I get that, but she is changed, I swear it."

"Don't you see what she is doing? She is only with you because she wants to get closer to me."

"Woah, obsessed much? What, she couldn't like me?"

"That is not what I meant and I know it!"

"Hey, silence!" A nurse shouted at us from the other side of the hall, as we both looked over to her, emerging from our fight.

"Look, I don't want to fight, okay?" He looked back at me, distracted with the nurse's reprimand. "Do you want to go grab something to eat or not?"

"You go first, I got to take a call."

" _ **What the hell, Juvia?!" I blasted into the school's cafeteria, shouting. All eyes on me, as I went over to the girl, sitting by herself, eating lunch.**_

" _ **What?" She acted innocent, drinking from her box juice.**_

" _ **Oh, don't do all that! You burned my bicycle!"**_

" _ **I don't know what you're talking about…"**_

" _ **My bicycle was gone, yes? And then I just opened my locker and found this!" I threw a burned bike bell at the table. "Where's the rest of it?"**_

" _ **What makes you assume it was me?" She looked directly into my eyes, with an impassive face on.**_

" _ **Stop that now! Why would you do something like that?! I don't even recognize you anymore!"**_

" _ **Look!" She yelled impulsively, standing up, slamming her hands in the table, and then proceeded to say calmly but scarily, looking straight into my eyes, almost whispering. "I don't know why you're acting so surprise, I told you, you were going to regret breaking up with me…"**_

" _ **What?! Are you crazy?!"**_

" _ **Hey, is everything okay over here?" Aru, some stupid jock, barged in into our conversation.**_

" _ **No." She smiled at me saying that. "This man is harassing me!"**_

" _ **You're crazy Juvia! You're crazy and a lunatic, and I can't believe I ever let those psycho hands of yours touch me!"**_

" _ **Het, man, let's turn it down a notch, shall we?" Aru said to me, as I looked at him confused, not understanding what he was doing there in the first place.**_

 _ **I snorted and walked away, in anger.**_

"C'mon, pick up!" I talked to myself, pressing a payphone in my ear.

"Hello…?"

"Natsu! Thank god!"

"Gray…?"

"Natsu, I'm sorry I bailed on you again, but I can explain!"

"Explain the reason you left me standing like an idiot at the bus stop waiting on you?"

"Natsu, my mom had a heart attack." Silence. "Natsu…?"

"Oh… wow. I… I don't even know what to say. Gray, I'm so sorry!"

"No, it's okay. She is stabilized, she is fine now."

"And, where are you?"

"I'm at my hometown, I'm calling from the hospital."

"I'm really sorry. Look, I'll go over there. What's the name of the town again?"

"No, please. There's no need for you to worry. Everything is going to be fine, I swear."

"Gray, if you don't tell me I'm going to find out anyway and show up, you know that…" I smiled at those words. Only he could bring me joy in a moment like that.

"No, I'm serious. I'll call you to tell how things are going okay? Now I have to go."

"Gray…" He insisted.

"Bye, I love you."

"Love you too."

I hung up the phone, and smiled. Just listening to Natsu's voice made everything lighter. I was galvanized. I knew I could do this. Took a deep breath and went meet my brother at the cafeteria.

…

My mom was deep asleep during our time in the hospital, she was sedated so she probably wouldn't wake up till the next day, anyway. I sat right next to the hospital bed, holding her hand, watching she sleep, so peacefully, trying to distract myself of the awkwardness that was having Juvia in that same room.

The doctor then proceeded to explain to me and Lyon that her blood pressure went up due to stress, but she was okay and didn't have any major problems. Just that she should keep on taking care of her own pressure, and he prescribed some medication. He also assured us that our mother was due to leave the hospital in the next day. We stayed there until the visiting ours were over, and then, went home.

I took a deep breath, standing in my living room for the first time in months. Everything was still there. The two couches, the center table, the television, the rug. I smiled seeing it. Even the smell of the house was getting to me. It smelled like home. I stood there like an idiot for many seconds, absorbing everything.

"Gray?" My brother's voice woke me up from my trance.

"Yeah?" I looked over to him, trying to disguise my silliness.

"I said, I feel bad for Mrs. Nanase staying there watching over mom for the night." Lyon was already lying on the couch, with only his underwear on. Stripping off ran in our family.

"Yeah, totally. She has done so much for us already. But I just couldn't lie down in that uncomfortable couch and sleep in it, after everything. I need a real bed." I said, as my brother surfed through the television channels.

"Lyon, I think I'm going to go to your room, is that okay?" Juvia's voice spoke up, and I was reminded that she was also there.

My ex-girlfriend was sat on the other couch, the one that was right in front of the television, while my brother was in the one by the left of the room. She was contracting herself by tip of the piece of furniture, like she didn't want to be noticed.

"Yeah, yeah." Lyon responded, without taking his off the television. "You can go."

Still acting retracted, Juvia got up, holding her hands together. She kissed my brother's forehead and passed by me. She was wearing a blue dress that I gave her, with a blue jacket, and brown boots. Blue was her favorite color. Hell, even her hair was blue. Silently, she got up the stairs, like she didn't want to be noticed, and wanted to disappear as quick as possible. I looked at her go, still shook by the fact that she was even there to begin with, and then lied on the couch she was in before.

"Dude, I know she is going out with you and all, but did she really need to come here?"

"Well, pardon me to want my girlfriend next to me the day my mother had a heart attack."

"What?! I didn't know she was your girlfriend…"

"Can we leave this subject for another time?" Lyon asked, still fixated on whatever game show was on.

I shivered in agreement.

 _ **I was walking down the street with Maiku. We both eating popcorn and laughing at whatever joke he was telling. He was good at telling jokes. When suddenly, I heard someone shouting my name.**_

" _ **Gray!"**_

" _ **Oh, my god…" I trembled seeing Juvia on the other side of the street.**_

" _ **Who is that?" The man next to me asked, seeing my ex running in the asphalt, toward us.**_

" _ **She is…"**_

 _ **Before I could finish my sentence, she was already in front of me, puffy from the running, and putting her hands right on top of my shoulders, looking straight into my eyes.**_

" _ **Gray!"**_

" _ **Juvia are you okay? What happened to your hair?" I asked, noticing that her otherwise brown hair was blue now.**_

" _ **I painted it. Which I know is stupid, because no matter what crazy thing I do with my hair or my body, it will never fill the gap that I feel ever since we broke up…"**_

" _ **Juvia…"**_

" _ **Hear me out Gray! I know it wasn't perfect before, but nothing is perfect, is it? And if you just give me another chance…"**_

" _ **Juvia, I…" All I could think about was the boy behind me, and how scared he must had been with the whole situation. It was my first real relationship, and I didn't want it to be ruined by my first non-real relationship.**_

" _ **Please, Gray!" She bursted into tears, while still holding tight into my shoulders, looking straight into my eyes. "I need you! I love you! Tell me that you don't love me! That you never loved me! I dare you!" I was shaking by that whole spectacle and I could feel Maiku was too, from behind me.**_

" _ **Juvia…" I couldn't find a follow up word to her name, that was when she pressed her body into mine and forced me into a kiss, as I turn my head. "Juvia! Stop!"**_

" _ **Please Gray, I know you want me, I know you do!"**_

" _ **Stop!" I held her wrists tightly, as she blushed, tears still falling down her eyes. This time I was looking directly into her eyes, making she blush and look away. "I'll take you home. You're clearly not okay, you need some rest." I looked over to Maiku behind me, who was scared by that whole affair. "I'm sorry, I have to go…" He couldn't manage to say anything in return.**_

 _ **I looked away, and, holding Juvia's hand, crossed the street, making my way into her house.**_

Taking my clothes off, I lied down in the couch, stretching myself. Me and Lyon, watching TV with only our underwear on. All that was missing was…

"Ew, Gray, take your clothes off the middle of the living room, you pig!" __

Yeah, now it was home.

Lyon and I watched TV together, making comments, teasing each other, fighting occasionally. I went to the kitchen to make popcorn, and we ate it together. For a moment, we almost forgot the reason why I was back home. But the truth is, it was like I never left.

Suddenly, we heard the bell ring, and looked at each other.

"Who is it?" My brother questioned, putting his pants back on.

Then, I remembered.

"Don't worry, I know who it is."

"Aren't you going to dress yourself first?" Lyon questioned me, as I went over to the door still half naked.

"There's no need to…"

I opened the door with a dirty smile on, knowing exactly who was standing in the other side. What was my surprise when…

"Nice look…"

The woman outside spoke, after staring at me blankly for a few seconds, unamused. I blushed and wished for a button that I could press to sink under the ground, in shame. So, it wasn't Natsu by the door.

"Ul-Ultear…" I stuttered seeing my big sister standing there with a big faux fur coat, staring at me half naked.

"Ultear…" Lyon came over to us.

"So, am I going to be invited in or what…"

"Man, I wish you could see your face right now…" Lyon whispered into my ear, as my shame rose bigger and bigger. "Sure, come on in…"

My two siblings went onto the kitchen, leaving me behind to dress myself. All dressed up, I appeared by the door, seeing the two of them sitting on the kitchen table.

"Oh, don't dress up on my account…" My sister smiled in amusement and I blushed harder.

She was sitting in one side of the table, and Lyon in another, completely separate. I went over to Lyon's side and pushed a chair.

"So, Ultear…" My brother began to speak. It was always awkward when Ultear showed up, because she lived with her father, and we never got to be close to her, so we never knew how to act around her, even though she was, indeed, our sister. "How did you know about… mom?"

"What's so hard about saying that word?" She sighed. "She is our mother, after all. Even though she always were more of a mother to you than to me, but…"

Me and my brother looked down with that comment. That was exactly the kind of stuff that made awkward our relationship with Ultear. She was seven years older than me, and eight years older than Lyon, so she had a life with our mother that neither me or my brother knew about. My mom brought her along when she came to Snow Bent with me in her arms. Ultear's father saw that as an attempt to run away with their daughter and prosecuted my mother to get full custody of Ultear. He won, and she was taken away from my mother's arms.

"But, hum, Ultear, how did you know about mom?" I tried to break the ice in the room.

"What kind of world is this where a daughter comes to visit her sick mother and is questioned about how she knows about the mother's state.

"It's just that you and her never were really close, and you don't live here, so we are curious to know about how this information came to you, that's all…" Lyon explained.

"That woman, from the candy shop or something, she found my number on my mom's agenda and called me. So, I came. Is that a big surprise?"

"Yeah, I can see that you made a big effort into being in here. Seeing that the hospital is already closed and all…" My brother shot at her.

"Ultear, do you want something?" I intervened.

"A glass of water would be fine, love, thank you."

"And are you shooting a big movie or something now? What's your next project?" I asked her, walking to the refrigerator to poor her a glass of water.

"I'm not supposed to tell yet, but, maybe there's a chance for me to fly to the United States to work with a big director."

"Woah, that's major." I said, handing her the glass, ad sitting back where I was.

"And how long do you plan on staying?" Lyon barged in.

"I don't know, since I am already here it would be silly to live without saying hi to her, wouldn't it?"

"You can sleep here if you want to…" I proposed.

"That's sweet, thanks."

"Mom's room is clearly available…"

"I don't think that would be the best option…" My brother was quick to interfere, and I kicked him under the table.

"Why not?" Ultear asked, with a smile on her face, as she took a sip of the water.

"Well, I mean, the couch is right there…" He stopped for a bit, as I looked down, seeing that this conversation couldn't end well. "And I would prefer, in behalf of my mother…

"Our mother…" She shot at him.

" _Our_ mother, if her room stayed intact until she comes back."

"Well, if it's going to be that difficult, I'll stay at the Inn they have here…"

"Do Miss Celebrity Superstar has a problem with sleeping in the couch?" I kicked Lyon harder this time. "Ouch!" He punched me in the shoulder. My veins were popping with his lack of discretion.

An awkward silence took the room for a few minutes. With only the ticking of the clock echoing through the walls.

"So, what happened to her, exactly?" Ultear questioned it, breaking the silence.

"She has been really stressed out lately…" I explained with the least amount of words as possible.

"Stressed out?" She was surprised. My daughter capabilities to push the wrong buttons was uncanny. Of course, she was doing it on purpose. "What has she been doing? I mean, don't get me wrong, but unless things changed around here, the only thing I know she did was use her capabilities of completely ignoring everything and everyone but herself…

"That's it!" Lyon stood up, landing his hands hard on the table. I rolled my eyes with the sign of the erupting volcano. "I don't care what your problems were with my mom during the past, but you should know that she is a very hard working woman, she raised me and my brother better that anyone ever could, without having the help of anyone! She built her own sport school out of the ground, and she runs it with precision! And even with all this responsibility on her shoulders she never stopped being a kind, caring woman, even to entitled spoiled brats like you!

"Alright Lyon!" I stood up and turned over to him, while my sister was openly having fun seeing how shit was going down. "You need to take it down a notch."

"No! She has done nothing to our mother but bring her sorrow and disappointment. Every time she comes into our house she manages to treat our mother like crap, and then leave after the damage has been done! I'll won't take it anymore, especially not today!

"I think you should go to your room and get some rest."

"Fine!" He went to the door, stopping by Ultear first. "And I think you should leave!"

After Lyon was gone, Ultear also stood up and went out of the house. I went to her, to see where she was going, and saw her sitting on the balcony, lighting a cigarette.

"Ultear, it has been a really long day. If you're only here to disturb us, I really think it would be better for you to leave."

"I'm sorry." She said as I turned back into the house.

Hearing those words, I came back to the balcony and watched her smoke from a distance.

"He's right you know. The only thing I brought my mother was sorrow. But it's not like it's been easy for me. I know you guys over here see me as the villain of the story."

"That's not true." I barged in, and went to sit next to her. "Every time you came here, and you left, me and Lyon saw our mother cry. We went to hug here, and you know what she'd say? 'Don't feel sorry for me. I know she is crying too'".

"It's just that, it has never been easy. When we leaved in Kyoto, before you were born, Ur wasn't a good mom, she really wasn't. I would always be left with my grandmother, we leaved with her, as she would go out, and come back late at night, when I was already asleep. I tried to wait awake till she came back, but I never could. She didn't like expending time with me, it's like she almost avoided it. Looking back at it, I realize now she had some sort of post-partum depression… And then there were the boyfriends, she would always come back with some guy, some brute, while grandma would yell at her to stop bringing those man into her house. The fight they had in front of me, I will never forget."

I saw the tears falling down her face as she told this to me. I never heard her side of the story before. And all my mom ever told me was that she wished she was a better mom to Ultear, the kind of mom she was to us.

It was really bizarre how much similar they looked. My sister was almost the exact copy pf her mother.

"And then she got pregnant with you." She said, after a moment. "And your father left, and the fights with grandma got bigger and bigger. But then she met Mikami." _Lyon's father_. "He was my swim teacher. He was the one that got her back into swimming you know? She stopped after high school, where she won several medals." I smiled, picturing all the medals she'd won, hanging on her wall. "And they fell in love, and it was the best part of my childhood. He was good to me. And he made her closer to me. It was like for the first time ever I felt loved by her. And he used to tell me we we're going to leave together in a big house. Me, her, him, and my little brother. And there were going to be several other babies that they were going to have." She stopped to smile. "And we moved out of grandmas'. And then my father appeared. He was rich, and he wanted to help raise me. And she didn't want to let him at first, but Mikami convinced her. I used to listen to their conversation in secret. And then you were born, and I felt like a real family for once. Me, my mom, my dad, and my baby brother. She got a job. She was happy. And then the accident happened. Mikami died in a crash. We had to go out of their house and moved back in with grandma. She fell back into ignoring me. She stayed inside her room for days, I wouldn't even see her. I cried saying I wanted my mother to my grandma. I invaded her room, tried to get her to talk to me, but she wouldn't say a word, she would only lay there, facing the other side. And I would yell at her, say I hated her. And it was like this for weeks. You would also cry and cry, and all I wanted to do was make you stop. I wanted to hit you, to get you out of your crib and throw you on the floor until you stopped. And then, one day…"

"She got out of her room, picked me up, woke you up and told you we were going to go on an adventure. And we came here…" I remember my mom's exact words. When telling me this story, she told me she was very sad in her room for days before she did bring me and my sister here.

"Yes." Ultear smiled. "And on our first night here, as we were being sheltered in Mrs. Nanase extra room, she picked me up from the mattress I was lying in on the floor, putted me in her bed and tickled me, and she said things were going to get better. And she would finally be the mom I deserved. And she got a job at the candy store in exchange for the room, but of course Mrs. Nanase paid her anyway."

"So, you know the 'candy store lady's' name, huh?" I teased her and she smiled.

"But then, my father found us. He stopped inside the shop with his BMW. I remember like it was yesterday, I was sitting in the balcony, as my mom was attending the customers, and I yelled to see him from the glass. And Ur came running from behind the balcony, she stood in front of him, they argued in front of me as I cried. And he picked me up, and I cried as he took me to the car, and she came running behind him. I cried and cried from inside the car, putting my hand on the window's glass. She put her hand too and said; "I'll come back to you." But she never did. And even though it wasn't her fault, I always resented her for it." By this time of the conversation, I was with my head lying on her shoulder, and my arm stretched across her back touching her other shoulder. "And that is why coming here has always been this hard. It's the life I could have. The mother I could have. That I wished I have.

"But you have it. She is your mother. It is not too late; do you know that?"

"Yes, but it's not the same. It won't be the same."

"So, what? You have to give yourself the chance to live different stories. Don't get stuck on the past. I've been handling this saying the hard way. I've been missing home, part of me wants to leave in the middle of the night, and come back here, to my mother's arms and give up on life, on growing up. But if I give in to those thoughts, I'll never have new experiences, and develop as a person."

"You're right. It's just that… It's easier said than done."

"I know. But you don't have to solve all your problems now. One step at a time."

"You're really smart. No wonder you got into Todai." We both smiled.

"I just have one question." I paused for dramatic effect. "When did mom find out she was pregnant with Lyon?"

"I don't know. But she didn't tell anyone. I guess it was after Mikami's death for her to want to keep it a secret. Even grandma was shocked when she found out."

"See, that is one thing I wished I had that you have. You're close to our grandmother."

My mom and her own mother were very reserved from one another, ever since she favored her ex-boyfriend during the suit to get Ultear's full guard. We almost never saw her. She came to visit from time to time, but it was very rare, and I think I only went to her house in Kyoto once in my life. At least she always sent me and Lyon birthday and Christmas presents. And since Ultear lived in Kyoto her whole life, and her father was closer to our grandmother than her own daughter, she and our grandma were actually close.

Me and my sister stood like that for a few minutes. Two siblings that never were really close catching up on all the time they waisted apart from each other. This was the first moment I ever saw Ultear without being her spoiled brat movie actress self, and I would keep it for life. As we watched the time go by, the winter breeze blowing through our faces, and the snow melting on the ground, I got caught up on reality when I heard someone shouting my name.

"Hey, Gray!" It was Mr. Hazuki. Around his arms was a really uncomfortable Natsu. "This kid over here was yelling your name in the town square. I guess he wants to talk to you."

"It's cool, Mr. Hazuki, thank you very much. One second." I said, turning over to Ultear, as Mr. Hazuki walked away, leaving a blushing Natsu behind. "So, you actually came…" I said, pulling him closer by the jeans.

"I told you I would…"

"Come, I want to show you some people…" I walked with him, my arm around his shoulder, as Ultear stood up, seeing we we're coming at her direction. "Ultear, this is, huh…" I took a deep breath. "This is my boyfriend. Natsu Dragneel." It was the first time I introduced him to anyone before, and, I think, the first time I called him boyfriend out loud.

"Hi, nice to meet you." She pulled in for a hug and a kiss in the cheek, as he stood still. "Is everything okay?"

"Y-You're… You're Ultear… Ultear Milkovich…"

"Yes, I am." She smiled.

"Oh, my god, I loved you on _The Queen's Sisters_. I know it's a chic flic and if anyone asks me outside of this conversation I'm going to deny it, but it's one of my favorite movies of all time! You're a goddess!"

"Well, thank you!"

"Can you sign me shirt?"

"Easy, fan boy! Let's come inside." I pulled him over before he started to kiss my sister's feet. "Lyon! Come here! There is someone I like you to meet!"

"Is this me meeting your family?"

"I guess so…"

After a minute or to, Lyon appeared up the stairs and as soon as he started to come down them, Juvia appeared right behind him. Shit! I had completely forgot about her presence there…

 _ **I was eating on a table in the cafeteria, alone, when suddenly I heard a bang from a tray being dropped on it. I looked up and there was Juvia. That's not exactly what I needed in that moment. In any moment, really.**_

 _ **"Juvia…"**_

 _ **"Aren't you going to say anything?"**_

 _ **"About the scene, you're throwing right in the middle of the cafeteria?"**_

 _ **"Look at my tray Gray!" I looked quickly to the empty tray in front of me. "Do you realize something?"**_

 _ **"Realize what?"**_

 _ **"Exactly! It's empty! Look at what you're doing to me." I stood up in a jump, and grabbed her by her arms.**_

 _ **"Juvia, listen to me! This is crazy! You're not implying right in front of me that you're going to stop eating!"**_

 _ **"That's right! I am going on a hunger strike until you get back with me!"**_

 _ **"Juvia, this is crazy!" I whispered to draw less attention to us. "You can't blackmail me into getting back together with you, this is insane!"**_

 _ **"Well, once you're in love…"**_

 _ **"Juvia!" I said that louder than I intended, interrupting her. "This is not love, this is sickness, you're only hurting yourself. You should get help!"**_

 _ **"Take your hands off of me!" She untied her arms from my hands. "If you want me back, and if you want me to start eating again, you can have me, but until then I don't want you to touch me!" She turned around and walked away, as I looked at her go, worrying.**_

"What is it Gray?" I woke up from my own thoughts, seeing Lyon standing there, with Juvia right behind him, staring at me.

"Oh, right! So, Lyon, this is something I want you to meet." I looked over to Natsu, with my arms still around his neck. "This is Natsu. He is my boyfriend." I said that in a single breath.

I turned around to Lyon, anxiously. He was just staring blankly at me, and then at Natsu. I could feel the tenseness grew around the room, while everyone was waiting on his response. Finally, he smiled.

"Boyfriend, huh? What's up man, I'm Lyon." He shook Natsu's hand, and I thought I was going to pass out after that dramatic build up.

"Nice to meet you!" Natsu smiled.

I was so happy during that moment, that I completely forgot about Juvia. I didn't see the expression on her face after I said the words _"my boyfriend"_ but I'm sure it wasn't a pleasant one.

"Uh, Lyon…" Ultear's voice interrupted us. My brother look over to her, with what definitely wasn't a pleasant face. "Can I talk to you for a second? Outside?" Before he could respond, I put my hand on his shoulder, making him face me.

"Go."

With one word from me Lyon consented, and they both went outside. That was when I heard heavy steps climbing the stairs at full speed. When faced the stairs, there was no one there. That was when I remembered Juvia.

"Are you okay?" Natsu questioned.

"I'm fine. Let's go upstairs."

I showed him the way to my room, and went to the bathroom. When I came out I bumped into my ex-girlfriend.

"Juvia!" I was scared for a few seconds.

"Don't worry I don't bite…"

"I know…"

I clear the way for her to get to the bathroom, and followed my path to my room.

"Gray." She called me from behind, and I turned around cautiously.

"Yes?"

"Boyfriend, huh?" Juvia's face wasn't showcasing any expression when she said that, so I didn't really know what to think.

"Yes…"

 _ **"Gray…?" I heard her voice coming from behind me. "Mom? Dad?"**_

 _ **Me and Juvia's parents were sitting at Mrs. Takada office, she was the school's psychiatrist. I felt the duty to go to her and tell about the Juvia situation a few days back.**_

 _ **"Miss. Lockser, take a sit, please." Mrs. Takada said.**_

 _ **"What is going on here?"**_

 _ **"Mr. Fullbuster came to me a few days back, and told me that you're going through some issues. Would you care to have a conversation?"**_

 _ **"I don't know what you're talking about…"**_

 _ **"Juvia, me and your father noticed that you haven't been eating, and you've been having difficulty to sleep, and your grades are falling. We didn't know how to approach you about it. That's what it was, boy trouble?"**_

 _ **"Sweetheart, it's okay to open up to us, we're your parents…"**_

 _ **"No! I don't know what you're talking about!" Then she turned over to me with rage running across her face, before storming out of the room.**_

Shaking my head, trying to get those memories to get out of it, I opened my door's room. I smiled seeing it. My blue rug on the floor, my desk with my desktop, my bed, my wardrobe. And then there was Natsu, sitting on top of my bed. It was like the perfect mixture of the past with the presence.

"So, this is your room… Gray Fullbuster's room…"

"I just have one question…" The famous pause for dramatic effect. "Who are these people?" He pointed at my Radiohead poster on top of my bed's head.

"What? You don't know Radiohead? They're like my favorite band!"

"Never heard of them…"

"That's got to change. Thank god you're dating me…" I sat by his side, lying my head on his shoulder, taking a deep breath. "It's been a long day."

"How are you feeling?" He said, passing his fingers through my hair.

"Tired, I guess. But also, a bit guilty."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I guess I should see something like this coming. I should have paid more attention to her, while I was still here. During me and Lyon's childhood, she always worked very hard and tried very hard to give us the support we needed, always making sure that we were okay, and happy. I didn't realize when I was little, but she, more than often, sacrificed her own happiness to provide for us, never cracking up, handling everything with precision, not wanting to give us any sign that there was something wrong."

"Yeah, but if that's the case, I don't think it was something you could change in her just by telling not to worry so much…"

"Yeah, but it's not just that, you know?" I took a breath. "I guess there was other ways of showing her that me and Lyon… That we could take care of her too. She tried to always act like there was nothing wrong going on in her life but of course there was. She had to raise two boys by herself. Her older daughter lived with her father, and didn't want to have anything to do with her. Her other affairs, one left her with a child, and the second one died before she could give birth to their son. And even so, my mom was always with a firm expression on her face, exhaling plenitude. She would give swim classes at the town's club from morning till night, and on the weekends, no matter how tired she was, she would always propose activities for me and Lyon to do. I feel like she sacrificed her own humanity to give us this perfect life…

"But that's what parents do. I guess what you can do now is just stop dwelling in the past and start to think on what you can do from now on to show your mom that is okay for her to have a life of her on…"

"You're right. God, you're so smart. No wonder you got into Todai…" We both laughed.

"Then, that means you're on the same level as me."

"Yes, I am!" I squeezed him into a tight hug.

"I just got one last question." I turned my eyes to him. "Who is that girl with blue hair in the living room." I sighed. It was time for the _Juvia conversation._

"That is Juvia… She is my…" Took a deep breath to find the courage to finish that sentence. "She is my ex-girlfriend." Natsu stayed quiet for a few seconds.

"Well, well, well, Gray Fullbuster, who would've thought you, too, used to be a _heterosexual_."

"Stop!" I released him on the hug and gave him a pretend slap on the cheek, as we both giggled. "It's not like that. I'm not bisexual like you. What we had wasn't real like you with Lucy. I was just scared to assume my own queerness and used her, as a beard." I said all that facing my wardrobe in front of me.

"Wow."

"Yeah, I know. It wasn't the brightest of moments for me. I feel guilty every day for what I've done to her. Especially since she didn't do well with the break up."

"How well did she do?"

"She had to be admitted into a psychiatric hospital."

"Yikes."

"And now…" I took a breath again. "My stupid brother is dating her… I mean, can't she see that she is just using him to get closer to me?"

"Maybe you're giving Juvia too little credit. Maybe she's better, I mean, you're not even living here anymore…"

I looked back to my boyfriend's face. When did he get this lucid all of a sudden, giving advice? I smiled seeing this new side of him that hasn't come up till now.

"Maybe you're right…" I lied my head on his shoulder again, and we stood there in silence, for a few minutes.

"I'm sorry, I have to ask…" Pink head broke the silence, and I smiled. That was more like him. "Did you and Juvia… You know…"

"Oh yeah… Juvia took my virginity." I put my hand on his chest.

"Oh, wow. And after her…"

"Okay, so this is the exes' conversation." I took his head out of his shoulder, preparing to this _talk_.

"It's not fair, you now who my exes are. Lucy. Now I want to know about yours, mister." He faced me, smiling.

"Fair enough. Well… After Juvia, there was this guy…"

"Oh, a guy…"

"Yes…" I smiled. "His name was Maiku, I started to go out with him, in secret, soon after me and Juvia's break up. We had some fun, but Juvia wasn't the lightest of ex-girlfriends, so it didn't go well…"

"Oh, bother…"

"You're so stupid." I laughed. Natsu was now with his legs, stretched, in my lap. "You know, you should thank him. I mean, he was the one that taught me all I know now…"

"Hum, is that so?" I pulled him close to me by his neck and we pressed our lips together, into a hot kiss.

"You know…" Natsu said, our lips still close to one another. "I have a condom in my pocket…"

"Oh, no babe…" It hurt my heart to say that. "No hot sex tonight, can we just cuddle?"

"You? Turning down on sex?"

"I know, I'm sorry, it's just been a full day…"

"Sure." He kissed me again and I went up to turn off the lights.

Then we lied down, he shrinking himself on the bed, and I, hugging him, the perfect cuddle, the perfect partner. Finally peace.

…

It was still early, I couldn't sleep much, waking up at six thirty in the morning. Went down stairs, the couches were empty. Apparently, Lyon let Ultear sleep in mom's bed after all. Outside, it was already snowing. I took a deep breath, seeing as everything was calm, at last. That was, until I went into the kitchen.

As soon as I opened the door, Juvia was sited there, cigarette between her fingers, facing the other side. I froze for a second, not knowing if I should proceed or not.

" _ **Lyon! Gray! See if they took anything from your bedroom!" My mom yelled at us, as we entered our house in panic, seeing that someone broke in into our house, as the door was busted.**_

 _ **I went up the stairs, trying not to make sudden moves, with a vase in my hands. Walked to my door, there was a gap opened. Carefully I opened it, accidentally dropping the vase and cracking it on the floor, as I saw the blue haired girl asleep on my bed.**_

" _ **Juvia…" I ran towards her, shaking her by the arms, trying to wake her up. "C'mon wake up!" That's when I noticed; by her side, five or six empty boxes of medication, and a handwritten letter. "Oh shit! Mom, it wasn't a robbery!"**_

" _ **What?"**_

" _ **Just… Call an ambulance! Quick!"**_

Firmly I decided to walk in.

"Good morning." I said to her, going in the cabinets direction, to grab the cereal. Then, I walked back to the table, after putting it and milk into a bowl, sitting at the opposite side of my ex-girlfriend. That's when I realized she was crying. _Don't ask anything_. "Juvia… Are you okay?"

She pretended to just notice my presence there at that moment, finally looking at my direction.

"Lyon broke up with me…" She said, taking a pull at her cigarette.

"Oh…" Part of me couldn't help but feel relieved. "I'm sorry to hear that…"

"Don't do all that…"

"I didn't know you smoked…" I tried to break the ice after the silence that installed itself at the room.

"I started because of you, asshole!" She snapped at me, hitting her hands on the table.

"Look Juvia…" I tried to stay quiet, but just couldn't. "I know that you're channeling all the anger you're feeling towards me, but I hope you'll realize one day that all I did was because of your own good…"

"Spare me! I lost one year of my life because of you! I was deemed as crazy, I was put in an asylum!"

"I know you think you hate me" I continued talking, ignoring her snaps. "Just like you thought you loved me. But it wasn't love Juvia. And I'm sorry that I dragged along for as much time as I did, and one day you'll move on to greater things, I know you will…"

Silent came back to reign the room, until, this time, Juvia broke the ice.

"He was right, you know." She wanted me to ask what she was referring to, which I did not. "I was only with him to get closer to you…"

I didn't know what to say, therefore I kept on eating my cereal. When I took my head off of the bowl, Juvia was sitting right next to me, which made me jump with surprise.

"Gray…" She put her hand on my thigh.

"Don't, Juvia." I said, slowly, trying not to look directly towards her.

"I know you still have feelings for you, Gray." She kept rubbing my leg. "I know you still love me."

"I never loved you Juvia." I snapped back at her. The sound of the slap she gave me after echoed through the room. She bursted into tears, looking down, and stopped rubbing my leg.

"I'm so pathetic."

"You're not…"

"I don't need pep talk from you!" She stood up. "How come you say that to me? My feelings meant nothing to you?"

"I said it, because is the truth. I never loved you. I used you as a cover up, which was wrong, and I apologize."

"What do you mean, as a cover up?" She turned to me again, with rage going through her body. "You mean as…" she stopped for a second, lowering her voice, in disbelieve. "You mean because you're gay?"

"That's right Juvia. I'm gay, and I've always been gay, I'm sorry…" She looked at me shocked, still crying.

"Well… To hell with you. To hell with this house!" She yelled, bursting out of the kitchen by the back door, slamming it.

I looked back at me cereal bowl, sighing. I didn't handle that the best way, again.

Suddenly, Natsu comes through the door, and I smile at him, trying to disguise my mood. He sat right next to me, putting his hands on my thigh, smiling back at me. The past left by one door, in a rage tantrum, but the present came by the other, smiling, ready to warm my body after all that rain.

"Is everything okay?"

"Now it is."


	5. May 3rd, 2013 - The Trip

And here I am, crying, late at night, again. It is really pathetic how, whenever I think I'm getting better at overcome my situation, all those feelings come back at me when I'm going to sleep. And I know that this will be a rough night of sleeping, with me moving around the sheets, amongst my tears.

I pick up the box from behind the bed. That old, crumpled shoe box. Inside of it, a collection of all the stuff I have from Natsu or stuff that symbolizes our relationship.

Going through all the objects, from his red ball, and the keys to his motorcycle, I find a polaroid under all that mess. A smile appears in between the drops of water coming down my face. It had been a while since those memories came back to me. Me, Natsu, and all our friends standing in front his family's cabin in the woods. I am resting my head on his shoulder, while his arm is around me.

 _That's a really great picture_ , I think to myself, sobbing, as the tears gradually stop. For the first time, seeing one of those memories calmed me down, instead of wreck me even more.

…

"So, we wake up really early tomorrow, we will already have packed the day before, so we can just get to the car and drive there as soon as possible…" I tried to go through my plans with my boyfriend once again, until I realized he was looking another way, not seeming very interested. "Natsu!"

"Huh…" He babbled suddenly, waking up from his slumber with my yell. Facing my direction, finally, and seeing my unamused look, he tried to explain himself. "Gray, c'mon, we've been through this a million times. I get it. We wake up early, pack…"

"We will already have packed the night before." I interrupted him, bluntly, as he rubbed the back of his neck in shame.

"What are you guys talking about?" A sudden voice interrupted us.

Both me and my boyfriend looked to the side at the same time, seeing Gajeel sitting next to me at our table at the dining hall. In front of him, sat Levy, the small, blue haired girlfriend of the tall, muscly, brunette at my side. I would never understand how they worked together so much as a couple. Levy was an innocent, nerdy little girl, as Gajeel was the typical bad boy stereotype, with his piercings and the dragon tattoo on his arm, and his typical black clothes, alongside with the unfriendly face he was always putting on.

"We are planning our Golden Week trip to my family's cabin tomorrow." Natsu unceremoniously answered.

"Oh, that's sweet." The small girl replied. "We were planning a trip of our own, but it didn't work out…"

"I told you to get the bus tickets in advance!" The brunette at my side suddenly shouted. He had some anger management issues.

"Why should _I_ be the one to get the tickets?!" Levy yelled back, as I rolled my eyes at the fight going down right next to me.

"Look, that's cool and all…" I tried to interrupt the argue that was bound to happen right in the middle of my planning, before Natsu opened his big fat mouth.

"Hey, why don't you come with us?" As soon as those words left his lips, I kicked pink head's leg from under the table. "Ouch!" He looked at me aimlessly after I did, while I retributed the look with a not very pleasant face.

What the hell was he doing? Did he know for how long I was planning and dreaming about our romantic getaway together, especially after the stressful last few months with all the studying were? And now he was about to ruin everything inviting some other couple to come along.

"Oh no, we couldn't…" Levy was quick to respond, making the sudden weight in my back disappear with relieve.

"Oh, come on, it will be fun…" Natsu insisted making me want to go ahead and punch him in the head so that he would stop talking. "It will be like a couples' vacation."

"It sounds fun. It's sure better than to hang around here doing absolutely nothing…" Gajeel replied from beside me.

"I don't know…" The small girl said, anxiously. "Gray, would you mind?" She turned over to me, making me come out of my state of anger to look over to her, disguising my unpleasantness with the whole situation.

"Me…" I didn't know how to respond without being brutally honest, and therefore, inherently rude. Suddenly I felt a touch on my hand and looked over to my boyfriend in front of me, holding it, his eyes telling me to be kind. _Fine_. "No…" I swallowed dry, trying to pull that off convincingly. "No, I wouldn't mind if you tagged along with us…" I looked back to Levy that smiled with my answer.

"Well, so it's decided." Natsu decreed.

"All right!" Gajeel pulled me over, surrounding me with his big arm, and gave me a slap on the shoulder. "This will be fun!" I politely took his hand from around me and sat straight again.

"Levy!" Erza appeared out of nowhere, making everyone jump from our seats at her sudden scream. "There you are!"

"Hello, Miss. Erza…"

Levy was also majoring in teaching, and, therefore, was Erza's protégé for the past two years, as the ginger woman picked the small girl to follow her legacy, even though they were complete opposites. She guided Levy around, showing the younger female the Erza way of doing things.

"So, what are you people talking about?" Erza promptly sat down next to her apprentice.

"We were talking about the trip we are taking tomorrow to Natsu's family cabin, for the Golden Week." Levy explained.

"So, you four are going?"

"It's a couples' holiday." Gajeel rapidly clarified.

"Uh, I see…" An uncomfortable silence kidnapped the table, as the ginger woman was clearly bummed out she wasn't part of our plans. "Well, I'll tell Jellal, we didn't have much of a plan anyway…"

"What?!" I unconsciously shouted at the ginger woman, making everyone at the table tremble from my sudden loud yell. "I mean… You're sure you want to go?" I tried to disguise my discontent.

"Of course." She replied like it was no big deal, taking a sip of her beverage.

"Right…" I shivered in rage, trying to keep my displeasure to myself.

"So, Levy, you're going with me, right?" The redhead questioned her protégé, putting her arms around her shoulders.

"I am…?" The small girl replied in confusion, blushing.

"Yes. You and Gajeel can come with me and Jellal in his car." Erza answered her own question.

"Great…" I could hear Gajeel grumble softly, in distaste.

So, I guess I should explain who Jellal is. He was Erza's boyfriend at the time. They met during her time as a freshman, when he was a senior. Jellal was the one person as stiff and serious as Erza, even though he wasn't as threatening as his girlfriend, just mysterious. The times I saw them together, they weren't doing much, just standing still, quietly talking to each other, but then I guess this was probably Erza's ideal date. When she wasn't around, he became even more tense and enigmatic. He didn't talk much. He had blue hair and a birth scar that crossed his right eye, and I guessed he worked as an engineer, or something. This was all I knew about that guy. Like I said, mysterious.

"What are you guys talking about?" Another voice came from beside me. That was getting old really fast. It was Cana Alberona, a friend of ours.

"We are planning a trip for the Golden Week, why, do you want to come?" I replied, pissed, barely disguising my frustration.

"Well, as a matter of fact, I do, Gray! Thanks!" She threw herself in my lap, hugging me. Cana was clearly drunk, as she was at least three days a week, not counting weekends.

And so, the conversation went on, as we planned what was supposed to be a romantic getaway between Natsu and me. At least the car ride till the cabin would be only between us, since a tipsy Cana insisted she wanted to go with her best-friend Levy in Jellal's car. And while Natsu explained how to get there driving, all that I was left to do was to snort out of discontent, as I rested my face in my hand, watching the conversation develop.

After what it felt like hours of talking at that table, everyone eventually got back to whatever they had to do, and me and Natsu followed our paths, walking together through campus, holding hands in silence.

"Okay, can you please say something?" He stopped walking, suddenly. "I know you are frustrated…" I inhaled preparing myself for that inevitable discussion.

"Yes." I said, turning over to the boy with the pink hair. "Yes Natsu, I am frustrated. It's just that this was supposed to be our romantic break, and all of a sudden, Erza is coming, and Cana, and Levy, and…"

"Dude, relax…" My boyfriend interrupted me. "It's going to be fine, you'll see. We will still be together, and…" He smiled blushingly. "We will sleep in the same room…" I smirked as he pointed those suggestive eyes at me.

"I know…" I joined my body close to his. "It's just frustrating you know… I was already seeing us cuddling in front of the fire, and skinny dipping in the river, and walking along that trail to go camping on top of the mounting, and sleeping under the stars, sharing a sleeping bag…"

"We can still do all these stuff, but with our friends there, too. It'll be fun…"

"I don't know about that…" I looked away, in spite.

"C'mon…" Natsu grabbed my behind, pulling me closer to him. "We already went there by ourselves last year, now we have the chance to go with our group of friends. It won't spoil the trip!"

"Fine… It's just that we went there, it was so invigorating… Never mind, I'm frustrated that's all…" I separated my body from his, holding his hand again, as we continued to walk. "I'm sure I'll be in a better mood tomorrow." As we had to depart ways, I grabbed his two hands, turning over to him and facing his two eyes. "I'll stop by your dorm later…"

"Wait, what? You aren't coming with me now?

"No, Natsu…" I sighed in disbelieve. "We've been through this already. We have to pack remember? Then I'll go meet you…"

"Alright, I forgot… Take it easy…"

"I know, I'm sorry…"

"Come here."

Pink head pulled me over for a kiss, and we stayed like that for a while, until we ran out of air in our lungs.

"Are you sure you don't want to come over?" Natsu asked with a dirty smile on his face.

"I wish, but I really should pack…"

We said our goodbyes and dropped one another's hands. I started to walk away, when he shouted at me.

"I'll see you tonight!"

"You can bet your ass you'll see me." This time I was the one pulling a dirty smile.

…

I closed my room's door and pressed my back against it, discounting all of my frustration into a yell.

"Dude, what is going on?"

"Loki? I'm sorry, I didn't know you were here…"

I threw myself on top of my bed, burying my head into the pillow. I wasn't in the mood for packing, _at all_.

"I'm serious, what's happening?"

I sighed, turning around and stretching myself on the bed, before answering.

"It turns out my romantic trip with my boyfriend isn't much a couple thing, as like a group road trip with seven people…"

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's fine. It'll be fine… I'll just have to drink myself into numbness and discount my frustrations fucking my boyfriend every single night."

"Ew, man! Boundaries!"

"Yeah right, like you haven't had sex with a lot of girls with me pretending to be asleep right beside you…" I was already getting comfortable on my bed, when I reminded of the stupid suitcases I had to prepare. "Oh fuck, I gotta pack…" I tried to get up, but fell on my back again, grumbling.

"What you need to do right now is to relax…"

"No, please, don't give me any ideas…"

Ignoring completely what I'd just said, my roommate came over to my bed, sitting next to it, showing me a joint in between his fingers, with a suggestive smile on his face. It was really hard to resist.

"I hate you."

He gave me his hand so I could stand up. I picked up the joint from him, putting in my mouth while he lighted it. Taking a pull at it I realized there was no turning back.

…

"Ah!"

I woke up in a jump, with the sound of something hitting on glass. My head was in extreme pain, I realized, as I rubbed my eyes. It took me a second to realize where I was, seeing the blur start to come together as one picture, forming my bedroom.

"Ah!" I shouted one more time, falling off the bed, as the sudden noise that woke me up repeated itself. "I'm naked…?" I noticed, watching my legs stretched on the floor, and my penis completely showing. The noise repeated itself for the third time. "Shi! What is that?"

Standing up, I looked at the window and see that someone was throwing little rocks at it, making that obnoxious noise. Very determinedly, I went to it, opening up.

"What the…?"

"Gray!" A yell interrupted the one I was about to give.

"Natsu…" I was still confused. God, my head was killing me. "Are you the one throwing these rocks?"

"I had to wake you up!" My boyfriend justified himself from down there, on campus.

"What happened to nocking? Ouch!" I felt a sudden stitch on the side of my head. That sun hitting on my face wasn't helping.

"I don't know, what happened to wake up early to go as soon as possible? See, I was paying attention!" I was the one that couldn't pay attention to him, as I squirmed my head back and forth out of pain. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine…" And as the sunlight came directly into my eyes and my head shivered out of pain, I remembered about the trip. "Oh, shit! I completely forgot!"

"Figures… Have you packed?"

"Packed? Oh shit!" And as my boyfriend questioned me about that I started to remember of what happened last night. "Ouch!" I screamed one more time, as I felt another stitch on my head.

"Are you okay? I'll come up!"

And while pink head walked into the building, I started to go through what happened in the night before with my head. I said to Loki I needed to pack my things, and he offered me a joint. Damn you Loki! Where was he by the way.

I was dragged away from my thoughts, by sudden heavy knocks on the door, making the inside of my skull shake in pain.

"I'm coming!" I yelled, making the knocks stop.

"Easy there, tiger…" Natsu said to me, trying to be discreet, entering in the room and closing the door from behind him.

"What? Why are you acting like this?"

"You are completely naked!"

"Oh, shit!" I said, looking down at my penis in full display. "I completely forgot…"

"What's going on?" The pink haired boy questioned, as I picked my underwear from the ground and dressed it up.

"That stupid Loki convinced me to get high yesterday, when I should be packing, and I don't remember much else…"

"Okay, but why would you be naked…?"

"Oh please, with whom I would cheat you with? Loki?" I replied roughly, noticing the suspicious tone at my boyfriend's voice. "You know I have the tendency to strip, it's probably just that… Ugh!" I groaned as my head was throbbing with pain.

"Are you okay?"

"My head is aching… But I don't know why, if I only consumed marijuana…"

"Okay, you go lie down, I'll pack for you."

"You're the best boyfriend in the world, you know that?" That was my way of thanking him, while dragging myself back to bed.

After a while, Natsu started shaking me to wake me up again, and all I wanted to do was to kick his head. A few minutes of this later, I finally got up, my whole body feeling weak, and we walked to my car. I growled with the sun hitting on my face, as if I were a vampire.

As soon as I entered the vehicle, my phone started ringing, making my whole-body shiver in pain.

"Fuck!"

"Are you sure you are ok to drive?" Natsu asked as I answered the phone.

"Gray?"

"Loki?" I talked with difficulty.

"You didn't leave yet, did you?"

"No… Why?"

"Ah, great. We are in front of the movie theater."

"What do you mean?" I wasn't understanding a single word of that conversation.

"What do _you_ mean, man? We are waiting for you to pick us up?"

 _What?_

"Wait, hold up. Are you coming with us?"

"What?" Natsu asked, as I made a sign for him to stop talking.

"Yeah, you invited me, remember? Me and this girl I'm seeing…"

 _Shit._

"Fine…" I sighed. "I'm coming to get you…" I said, hanging up.

"What happened?" My boyfriend asked, as I started the car.

"Apparently, I invited Loki to come with us last night… Shit!" I suddenly yell, as, again, the sun was aiming its light straight into my eyes. "Can you please pass me the sunglasses? They are in the glove compartment."

I put on the sunglasses, getting my hangover look together, and we drove to Loki. I couldn't believe that I asked him to come along. But the trip was already ruined anyway, I guessed it wasn't much of a problem. The problem would come later.

"Hey." My roommate greeted us, after we stopped in front of the movie theater.

"Where is your girlfriend?" I asked, lowering the window.

"She went to the bathroom. And she is not my girlfriend…" He visibly blushed. "Can you help me with our bags?"

"I got it." Natsu volunteered, seeing what a sacrifice it would be for me.

And as the two of them were putting Loki's luggage on the trunk of the car, I saw her coming out. My heart stopped, and I started to sweat cold, seeing the woman appearing in front of my eyes in slow motion.

Lucy. The girl that was dating Natsu when we started sneaking out together. The girl Natsu cheated on with me, basically. She hated my guts, not that I blamed her. It wasn't the most honorable thing what I did to her, and I would blame myself forever for what I made her go through.

Noticing me inside the car, she stopped too. I couldn't take my eyes off of the blond woman, and she was paralyzed looking at my direction herself. She couldn't be Loki's date, could she?

"Lucy!" As if listening to my thoughts, my roommate called her name from behind the car.

It was final. That trip was officially ruined. Oh, how I wanted to see Natsu's face right now…

Waking up from her trance, Lucy continued walking to the car with a not very pleasant face on. Natsu came back to the front sit and we exchanged looks. We knew we were screwed.

As the door shut from behind us, a very uncomfortable feeling of "what now" hovered over the car.

"So, guys, this is Lucy…" Loki broke the ice, without even realizing what was going on. "And these guys are…"

"I know them." She cut him, roughly.

That was not going to be a fun trip.

"Oh, you guys know each other? I didn't know that. How did that came to be?"

"So…" My boyfriend tried to get out of that awkward conversation. "Let's get this road trip started, shall we?"

And so, I started the car, knowing fully well that those were going to be the longest and most difficult three and a half hours of my life. Trying to shake things up, pink head turned on the radio.

"I love this song!" He shouted as Beyoncé's voice came along. "C'mon everybody! _To the left, to the left, everything you own in the box to the left…"_

Natsu shouted the lyrics, making my insides shake, and my head crumbled in pain. All I wanted to do was make him stop, but I was too weak to do it, and had to settle myself into shivering with rage.

Luckily, we passed by a drug store and I impulsively stopped the car.

"Why did we stop?" Loki questioned.

"I need aspirin!" I said, slamming the door behind me.

Coming back to the car, Natsu was now screaming to a Spice Girls song, making my whole body shake in anger, as I took one of the pills I had just bought and inserted into my mouth.

" _I'm giving you everything, all that joy can bring, this I swear_ , everybody!"

I was seriously considering kicking him out of the car and just drive away, as his out of tune shouting was making my ears bleed. In an impulse I turned down the radio, feeling all the veins in my body pop out of rage.

"Awn, no fun…" My boyfriend complained. "So, Loki, I heard you guys partied hard last night…" He soon got over it, as I drove away.

"Oh yeah, man. I never saw Gray like that…" That caught my ear.

"Do you remember what happened?" I joined the conversation.

"If I remember? Dude you got naked to brag about the size of your penis…" I took a sudden turn as he said that, blushing. "And then you started to show me what Natsu did with his…

"Okay! Let's go back to the karaoke session, shall we?" I stopped the conversation before it got too embarrassing. Soon, _MMMBop_ by the Hanson's took over the car in full volume. "What is this radio station? God…"

Soon, Natsu got back to screaming from the top of his lungs, and I really started to doubt if listening to Loki's embarrassing story wouldn't be a better option than that type of Chinese torture.

"But Loki…" I had to yell to be heard amongst all that singing. "What exactly did we do? We didn't just get high, did we?"

"No, man, that was only the beginning." He yelled back. "Then we both had the same idea to drink cheap wine and each of us took a bottle out of our closets at the exact same time, and…"

My roommate proceeded to explain to me, as flashes of the night before came back in full speed to my head, all that while Natsu was screaming to Gwen Stefani's _Hollaback Girl_.

"Hey!" Pink head finally stop the singing, when we were already in the highway. "Why don't we play a game?"

"Are you finally done with singing to these old songs?" I teased him.

"No, seriously…" Pink head turned the radio's volume down, making my ears thank him.

"I have an idea for a game." Loki barged in. "It's like that, someone starts telling a story, and the other people have to continue."

"I'm down with this game. Gray?" I growled in agreement.

"What about you Lucy?" My roommate questioned his date, who kept quiet the whole journey so far.

"Hum?" Sue questioned, taking her headphones off.

"Let's play a game."

"I'm not in the mood…"

"Oh, c'mon Lucy!" Natsu yelled, suddenly, making me shiver, again. "It'll be fun!" She didn't reply. "I'll sing really loud until you agree to do it!"

"Oh, please, don't…" I begged to myself.

But it was too late, my boyfriend turned up the music and got back to yelling really loud to that _Shrek_ song.

" _Somebody once told me / The world is gonna roll me / I'm not the smartest tool in the shed…"_

"Please, stop!" I tried to say as loud as I could amongst the music.

"Only you have the power to stop that, Lucy…" Loki teased.

After what felt like hours of out of tune yells, and three songs later, Lucy finally caved in.

"Fine! I'll do it!" She shouted, as I sighed in relieve, turning off the radio in a single move.

"The game is like that; Someone starts telling a story, and the other person has to continue it."

"Man, that is one lame game…" I complained.

"I think you should start babe, since you seem so excited." My boyfriend teased me, putting his hands on my leg.

"Fine…" I inhaled. "Once upon a time, there were two stupid college roommates that decided to get waisted instead of packing their bags…"

"And so, one of them decided to get naked to show the other his unusually small dick…" Pink head continued, making me punch his leg.

"And then the other guy was so scared with how small and ugly his roommate's dick was that he had a heart attack, and died, but his ghost got out of his body to haunt his friend with the small penis…"

"And then…" Lucy paused, thinking on how she could continue the story. "They found out that the only way to get the dead boy back to life, was to make his dead body suck from the mini-dick…"

"This is too disturbing…" Loki complained.

"It is _your_ game…" I reminded him, before continuing to go on with that stupid game.

…

"So, the dragon took the ghost and naked man to the genie lamp, so they could wish to bring the ghost back to life without sucking from the mini-dick…" Lucy said. We were playing that stupid game for hours.

"And when they finally got the genie lamp…" I swallowed dry, annoyed that it wasn't over by then. "The naked man asked for the hugest, prettiest cock he could imagine…"

"And the genie replied, 'I'm a genie, I can't make miracles…'" Natsu complemented, making Loki laugh out loud from behind him.

Suddenly, I felt the car shake from under us, as I passed through a hole on the deserted road, and everyone screamed, falling to the left. I grabbed the steering wheel with all I got, and was able to turn the car around, stopping it.

"Is everyone okay?" I asked, seeing everybody trying to catch their breaths after the fright had passed.

"What was that?" Natsu questioned.

"It was a fucking hole…" I got out of the car to see if something happened. "Shit! We got a flat tire."

"Oh no, really?!" My boyfriend followed me, getting out of the vehicle. "What are we going to do now?" He asked, seeing the car brutally parked by the side of the road.

"I don't know. We don't have service here…" I said, after checking my phone.

"Are we stuck here?" Lucy said suddenly, while she and Loki also got out of the car.

"You didn't have to do all that only because we were joking about your dick size, Gray…" My roommate joked.

"You're so funny…"

"You know, you might have a mini-dick but at least it's _my_ mini-dick…" Pink head whispered in my ear, making me smile.

"Well, if my dick is mini, what will we call _your_ dick…" I turned over to him, grabbing his butt, pressing our bodies together.

"Can you guys make out some other time, we have a big problem over here." Loki called our attentions.

"Yeah, I'm all out of service…" Lucy said, sat on the side of the road.

"Well, this is just great!" I snapped, letting Natsu go.

"What will we do now? I mean, we don't know how much longer we'll have to walk to find civilization…"

"Yeah, but we'll not gain much just by standing around doing nothing…" Natsu tried to interpose.

"No, I'm with Loki…" I barged in. "We can't just leave the car here…"

"So what now?" Pink head questioned.

Completely unmotivated, I sat down by the side of the road, just like Lucy was doing, resting my legs, and taking a deep breath.

"I guess we wait for help…"

And so, we waited, all four of us, sitting by the side of the road. A long time passed without a single car showing up, and all we had to entertain ourselves was the loud music that could be heard from Lucy's headphones.

"This is ridiculous…" Natsu snapped after a while, standing up. "We can't just sit here doing nothing!"

"Natsu…"

"No, Gray! This is not a wise move, let's all just walk to the next town or something…"

"But we don't know how much we're going to have to walk, besides, I'm afraid to leave the car unsupervised…"

"What are they going to do? It has a flat tire!"

"Guys…"

"I don't know and also don't want to find out!"

"Guys…"

"And I don't want to cook under this sun all day!"

"Guys!" Loki finally lost his patience, screaming at me and Natsu, making us both look at him at the same time. "There's a car approaching."

"See…" I give Natsu a victory look.

And so, an old green jeep passed by us, while my roommate made a hitchhike sign at it. Surprisingly enough, the car stopped and the driver lowered the window. He was a man in his early forties, with black hair, already grey in some areas, and a short beard.

"You guys need something?"

"Yes, hi." I got up and went closer to him. "My name is Gray, we and my friends were driving and my tire burst. If you wouldn't mind, could you please give us a ride to the closest town so we can find help?"

"This won't be necessary." The man plainly responded, making my raise my eyebrow. "Because I have an extra tire in here. I can change it for you."

"Wow, that's amazing! Thank you so much!"

The man got out of his jeep, revealing to be wearing an overall. Out of the trunk of his vehicle he took a tire and some tools, as we stood back and watched the magic happen.

"Thank you so much, again…" He finally finished changing the tire, and I approached the man.

"No, thank _you_."

I didn't understand at first what the man meant, but in one jump he entered in my car, without giving me a moment to process, and drove away, living me gaping, as I saw my car disappearing.

"Shit!" Natsu yelled.

"What the fuck was that?"

But as I heard my companions on that awful trip curse at the air, all I could settle to do, was to look away, paralyzed, still processing the viewing of my car, my precious car, disappearing in the distance.

"He didn't even leave the keys in his old car…" Lucy confirmed.

"Are you okay?" I suddenly felt the warm touch of Natsu's hand in my shoulder, while I was still frozen and shaking. I couldn't get myself to respond the sweet concerns of my boyfriend, as I was shattered inside, and all I could assimilate right now was the cold wind hitting on my face.

"We still have to figure out something to do next…" Said Loki.

"Gray?" Natsu insisted.

"I… I don't know…" I mumbled, getting out of my shocked state. "Shit…" I took a deep breath; my head was burning up. "Right now, I just really want to go home…"

"What? C'mon Gray, we can't do that…"

"My car just got stolen, Natsu!" I snapped all of a sudden, finally moving myself out of that position, so I could look at my boyfriend. "I'm not in the mood for continuing that stupid trip!"

"Look, Gray, I know that you're really upset right now…" Pink head tried to reason with me.

" _Upset_? I'm furious!" I shouted. "This whole thing has been a shit show from the get go!"

"I understand that, but we can't just get back to Tokyo… C'mon, I told my father I would be visiting, besides the other guys are probably already there, we can't leave them…"

As Natsu talked, I couldn't get myself to listen, my eyes were wet and my heart beating at full speed, with rage. Before I could get myself to respond, a loud horn could be heard from behind me. I turned around and there was a truck parked there. The driver was a fat man with long, curly hair and was wearing an oil stained hat.

"Hey, do you guys need something?"

"Hum, hi, our car just got stolen…" Pink head went introduce ourselves for the man, since I was in no condition to do it. He then came back to me. "Can I ask this man if he can give us a lift to Dragon Village? Just so we can meet my father, if you still don't feel like going to the cabin, we'll get back, I promise…"

"Fine…" I sighed.

And so, Natsu asked the man if he could give us a lift to his hometown. And we got on the truck. Lucy and Loki sat on the back sit, as me and my boyfriend filled the two spaces left next to the driver.

"I'm Rin, nice to meet you."

"Hi, I'm Natsu, this is Gray, and they are Loki and Lucy."

"Nice to meet you. So, what's your story?"

And as everyone talked, all I could settle to do was rest my face on the window and try to calm myself down, inhaling and exhaling, closing my eyes, until I fell asleep.

…

"Gray…" I heard a whisper in my ear. "We're here."

I opened my eyes, a bit groggy, ungluing my head from the window's glass, kind of lost with what was going on. And so, we got out of the truck and there we were. Dragon Village, my boyfriend's home town. We were right in the central part, where the dragon statue, symbol of the place, was at.

"What a swell guy…" I heard Loki said from behind me, after the truck driver went away and we all said our thanks and goodbyes. "So, what now?"

"Now, we go to my father's house."

Natsu led the way to his childhood home. It was a small, modest home, of only one floor and a wooden ceiling. My boyfriend knocked on the door, and his stepmother answered.

"Natsu!"

"Hi, Grandine, I'm sorry we're late."

Grandine was a small, grey haired woman in her late forties. She looked like a grandmother straight out of a fairy tale, with her apron on, and her kind smile, like she was preparing some dessert before we arrive.

"Gray!" She so excitedly said my name, realizing I was there, approaching for a kiss in the cheek.

"Hey, Grandine…" I retributed the hug she was giving me.

"These are Lucy and Loki, they are our _friends_." Natsu introduced the couple behind me, saying the word "friends" as unnaturally as it could possibly have been said.

Grandine went on to hug them, and I noticed how uncomfortable Lucy was with the whole situation. It couldn't be easy meeting your ex-boyfriend's family while accompanied by his new boyfriend, with whom he cheated on you with. I looked down, in shame, remembering all I've done to the girl.

"Grandine…" A low voice came from behind us. We all turned around to see Natsu's father approaching.

"Igneel! Look who is here!"

Igneel was, at first, a scary looking man. He had long, ginger hair, and walked limping, with the support of a cane. He had a scar on his left cheek. His whole appearance sent the message that he was someone who had done stuff. I remember being terrified when meeting him for the first time.

"Well, you're early…"

"Hello, dad." Natsu shook his father's hand, who pushed him into a hug.

"Gray."

"Hello, sir." He grabbed my hand for a handshake, a tight, firm handshake, that really hurt my hand.

"And what do we have here?"

"Dad, these are my _friends_ …" Yep, there it was again. "Loki and Lucy."

And as the presentations were all done, we got into the house. Natsu's home was your typical countryside, small but inviting house. Even the smell was welcoming. And so, we went into the dinner table in the middle of the room.

"Wendy, come here! Your brother is here!" Grandine called for Natsu's half-sister.

Wendy came running to the room, she was a twelve-old little girl, with her blue hair were stuck into pig tails. She jumped into Natsu's lap.

"Natsu!"

"Hey!" He held her tightly into his arms, swinging her from side to side. "I've missed you, little thing!" She visibly blushed with that nickname.

"I told you to stop calling me that…"

"I'm sorry, it's just that for me you'll never stop being my little thing." He kissed her in the cheek and let her go.

"Gray!" Wendy came running to me.

"Hey, Wendy!" I kneeled down, messing with her hair. "Have you missed me?"

"Only a little bit…" She joked.

"Wendy, go wash your hands so we can it." Grandine reminded her, and she ran to the bathroom. "Okay guys, make yourselves comfortable, I'll get the food…"

"Do you need help?" I volunteered.

"Would you mind, Gray? My back kind of hurts…"

Walking to that kitchen again gave me chills. It was right there that Natsu came out to his father a year ago, with me standing by his side. I was paralyzed the whole time, until the serious, terrifying face of Igneel broke down into a smile, and he hugged his son, promising to love him no matter what. All in all, it was all very emotional.

I carried the roast beef back to the table, leaving Grandine with the baked potatoes.

"I hope you guys are not vegetarian…" The small woman joked, as we put the dishes over the table. I sat next to my boyfriend, who put his hand on my thigh, smiling to me, which I, unconvincingly, responded to with a smile of my on.

"This is really good!" Loki praised the food, while Lucy sat next to him with an uncomfortable expression on.

"So, what happened to you that you got here so late?" Igneel questioned.

"Our car got stolen." Pink head responded plain and simple, making Grandine choke in her food.

"Sorry…" She said, after spilling down the not swallowed piece of meat into a napkin. "What happened?"

"This guy appeared and volunteered to change our tire, and so he did, right before running away with the car. He left his car there though. I guess he just needed a less old one."

"Oh, my god! Wendy, dear, no cellphones on the table, please…"

"Sorry, mom."

And so, the conversation went on, and gradually I got out of my cranky mood. Natsu's family hospitality and sweetness cheered me up. Igneel with his brute but absorbing self, Grandine and her general hospitality, and the too-cute-to-handle Wendy. I looked over to my boyfriend without he realizing it and saw the smile on his face, while he talked. He was really lucky to have a family like this one.

We talked about our journey to get there, how college was going, old family memories, plans for the future. Loki, with his clueless self, always making himself at home and acting like he was friends even with someone he had just met, fitted just fine in the conversation. The only one that seemed unware of what was going on was Lucy. From time to time I would face her from the other side of the table, feeling guilty for how uncomfortable the girl was with the whole thing.

Soon, Grandine brought from the kitchen a cheesecake she had made, and it was divine. On that small house, sitting on that table, eating and chit chatting, it was like our problems to get there had simply faded away.

"Wow! You scored a million points!" Wendy gasped seeing how well I was doing with her _Just Dance_. We finished eating and she asked me to play with her, while Natsu washed the dishes with his father.

"I told you to leave it with the pro over here."

Loki was sitting in the couch with a silent Lucy, watching me slay at the game. I stretched myself and went over to them, dropping myself on the couch. Soon, Natsu appeared.

"There is really no need…"

"No, please, I insist." He and Grandine were arguing whether or not he should take a piece of cheesecake with him.

When finally, he accepted, it was time for us to go.

"Goodbye, Gray." Igneel shook my hand, crushing it.

"Goodbye, sir." I tried to disguise my pain.

After all our goodbyes were said, we got out of that cozy house, seeing as the sun was already setting itself. Suddenly, Natsu put his arms around me.

"So, what do you want to do now? Shall we go back to Tokyo?"

"No… I was thinking," I put myself in front of him, grabbing his two hands. "You were right, we already came all this way, and it would be good to distract ourselves from this whole steeling car thing. We should go."

"Yeah?" He smiled at me, really happy.

"Yes." I pulled him closer for a tender kiss. "God, I love your family…" I said after we separated our lips.

"Do you? Don't you think my father is scary?"

"Oh yeah, he is scary as shit!"

"Guys!" Our conversation was soon interrupted by Loki coming running towards us. "You got to see this…"

He led the way, and my eyes popped when I saw what he wanted us to see. It was my car! Parked in the streets, like it was no such thing. My fucking car!

"What the fuck?!"

"What shall we do?" Loki questioned me.

"Well, now we go to the police…" Pink head said, acting like the voice of reason.

"I have a better idea…" We all turned over to Lucy, surprised to be hearing the sound of her voice after that long.

She led to the front of a bar, where the stealer was having a drink with a few friends. Just seeing that guy made me grit my teeth and close my hands into a fist.

"That bastard…"

"Ok, but are we going to do? Get into a fight with that guy? We have to go to the police." Natsu insisted.

"Don't you see the movies? Going to the authorities never works!" My roommate said.

"Oh my god!" I yelled suddenly, seeing my keychain hanging from out of his overall center pocket. "My keys are in his pocket! I just want to go in there…" Natsu held my wrist suddenly, as I started moving forward the bar.

"Natsu! Gray!" A sudden voice yelled from beside us. The four of us turned over, to see Mirajane, the medical student from our university coming towards us. "I didn't know you would be visiting…"

Mirajane and her family were from the same village Natsu grew up with. That was how pink head knew her brother Elfman, and asked him to help us get revenge on Laxus with the whole statue-steeling thing. They knew each other their whole childhood.

"Hey, Mira, who is that guy in an overall? I never saw him here before…"

"Oh, that's Taki. He moved here a few months ago with his family…"

"Well, Taki…" I spilled those words out of my throat filled with hate. "It is payback time, motherfucker!"

"What happened?" The gray-haired girl questioned.

"This man stole our car coming here…" My boyfriend explained, in a much calmer tone of voice.

"Well, why don't you go to the police station?"

"That's what I'm trying to…"

"What is Lucy doing there?" I interrupted Natsu's talk with Mirajane, seeing as the blond girl was over there in the bar, approaching the man.

"What?!" The pink-haired boy shouted, suddenly.

"She whispered her plan into my ear, while you guys were discussing." Loki finally said something.

"Her plan?!" My boyfriend turned over to my roommate, stupefied.

"Come along, we have to go behind the bar…" And as Loki moved I followed him, grabbing Natsu by the hand, making him move to.

"Mira, in case anything goes wrong, please just call the police…" He shouted at the woman we left behind.

"So, what exactly are we going to do?"

"Lucy's plan is to seduce him and grab the keys, she'll come meet us here, where we will confront him…"

"Hell no!" Pink head interrupted. "This is crazy! She'll be in danger! What if he is stronger than us?"

"I'm ready…" I said, getting one brick from the pile of bricks stacked behind that bar.

"Gray?!" He yelled at me.

"Why are you so against doing that? Usually you're the one coming up with stupid plans like that…"

"Yes, and you always stop me Gray, now I am the one who is going to get you out of your insanity…"

"Guys!"

A high-pitched yell interrupted our discussion as all three of us turned around, seeing Lucy coming running at us. Right behind us was the stealer, cursing her and screaming at her to give back the keys.

"You little bitch!" He grabbed her arms when she was already really close to us. "Ouch!" Without hesitating, Lucy hit her knee on his junk making him fall, as she continued to run back to us. "You…" He looked up at us, in rage, getting up and running towards us with difficulty.

Suddenly, Natsu came out of nowhere and pushed Taki's arm, moving his whole body over his own, and dropping the man on his back on the other side. Than he immobilized the man's arm and put one of his foot on top of his back, while the stealer squirmed in pain. I watched that whole scene with my eyes popped, feeling my member grow inside my pants out of the hotness that was seeing my boyfriend saving the day. One think I should probably tell about Natsu is that he was a black belt Judo fighter, but more on that later.

"Why did you steal our car?" Natsu whispered in a threatening way near the man's neck.

"I needed that car! My wife said to me I should sell my car and come back with another, but no one wanted to buy it…"

"Well, pal, you robbed from the wrong gang!"

Natsu let the man go, and came back to us, as I dropped the brick I grabbed, seeing that I wouldn't need it after all.

"Wow man… That was awesome!" Loki broke the silence, as me and Lucy were still shaking from what my boyfriend just did.

"Lucy…" I swallowed dry, getting out of my trance and looking directly at the blond girl's direction for the first time since the trip began. "Thank you." She smiled at me, and soon looked down, blushing.

"Yeah, but you could get yourself in actual danger…" Natsu called her out.

"It wasn't much of a big deal…" She shrugged, and we all started walking at the car's direction.

"By the way…" I whispered at my boyfriend's ear, as Loki and Lucy led the way to the vehicle, grabbing his behind. "That was _hot_."

Safe and sound, we all got into the car and I drove away, finally going to the cabin's direction. Our final destination, at last.


	6. May 3rd-6th, 2013 - The Golden Week

When we parked the car in front of the wooden house, it was already night. I got out of my recovered car, sighing in relieve, as that crazy road trip was _finally_ over.

When we got our luggage out of the trunk, and moved at the cabin's direction, Levy appeared, coming from the left, in a swimsuit.

"Oh, hi guys! They're here!" She yelled at the other ones that were coming behind her, from the waterfall that was located near the house.

Soon, they all appeared from behind her, Gajeel, Cana, Erza, and Jellal, who had an impassive expression on, mysterious as always.

"Lucy!" Cana shouted, realizing her friend was there, going for a hug.

"Hi! Oh my, you're wet!" That was the first time I saw the blond girl express any emotion that wasn't disgust.

That moment I remembered that Cana was originally Lucy's friend, and initially treated me with coldness whenever she hanged out with Natsu and I was there too, until we got drunk together and she warmed up to me.

"When did you get here?" I questioned, as we all got into the house.

"Since eight a.m." Erza promptly responded. "I made everyone wake up early so we wouldn't miss a single thing."

"See what you were becoming?" Natsu whispered into my ear, teasingly.

"We got a problem." The ginger woman stopped in the middle of the living room, as to make an announcement. "Since, we didn't know Loki and Lucy were coming, the four rooms are already distributed. So that means that… Levy you're going to have to sleep with Jellal and me." She said like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"But… I have a boyfriend…"

"No worries!" Cana said, loudly. "You can sleep with me Lucy!"

"But what about me…?" Loki made a sorry voice.

"There is room for you too…"

"That is a splendid idea!" The blond girl responded, leaving her date with a not very pleasant expression on his face.

With the commotion ended, me and Natsu went on to our room, only to be welcomed by Jellal with a pink towel on, just out of the shower.

"Sorry…" I said to the blushing man, as we both got out of there, very uncomfortable. "It appears like this is Erza's room…"

"But this has been my room since I can remember…" Now Natsu was the one with a sorry voice. "I'll go talk to her…" I knew that wouldn't end well, but wasn't going to say anything. "Erza." He called the redhead by the name, as she turned around to him, in the middle of the living room. "Hi. So, about the room you're staying…"

"Oh yes. Your room is on the second floor, by the end of the hall."

"No, but I want to talk to you about that. You see that room has kind of been _my_ room my whole life…"

"I had a feeling it was. That was why I assigned you guys to sleep there." Erza plainly said, and left the room, before my boyfriend had a chance to respond.

"So… I guess we are going to have to settle for the other room…" I said, putting my hand on his shoulder.

"Oh man, that was my grandmother's room…" He said in frustration.

Entering the said room, I started coughing with the amount of dust that was in there. Also, it kind of smelled like mold.

"Ok, this hasn't been cleaned for a really long time…" I threw myself in the bed, realizing how hard the mattress was.

"I can't believe we're going have to stay here… My bedroom is so comfortable…" He sighed, sitting next to me.

"I didn't know you had a grandmother…" I tried to light up the mood by changing the subject.

"She was Grandine's mother, actually…"

The only blood family Natsu had was his father. Her mother was kicked out of the house for getting pregnant with an older man who she wasn't married with and they moved to a different town. His mother died of birth complications and his father moved away again, to the Dragon Village, where he met Grandine and they had been together since Natsu was five years-old.

After we settled in, as much as possible, at our room, we went down stairs for dinner. Gajeel had made salmon with rice and baked potato, he was actually a really great cook. Then Erza tried to make pasta, but it felt burned and raw at the same time. Cooking was the one thing she didn't excel in, but no one could say that to her, so we all forced that abomination disguised as macaroni down our throats.

After everyone was full, we decided to light up a fire in front of the house. Sitting around it, we told stories, laughed, and even sang some songs, as a bottle of cheap wine was going around. Only Lucy and Cana were unaware of everything, having their own private conversation.

I was sited next to Natsu, his head resting on my shoulder, Levy next to Gajeel, and Erza next to Jellal. They were very weirdly holding hands, as he was quiet, in his lane, and they both look deadly serious, without a single smile or display of affection for one another. They were an odd couple, but I couldn't help to find it sweet that even they had their way of embracing love. The only couple that was separated in the circle, was Loki as he was next to me and Natsu and she was on the other side, talking with Cana. It was clear he was frustrated about it.

"You know what we should do tomorrow?" I suddenly spoke. "We should go on that trail to go on top of that plateau."

"What trail?" Questioned Gajeel.

"It's something me and Natsu did the other time we came here. It's a trail that goes all the way up to that plateau there…" I pointed at it. "And we camped for a night. We lied on the grass, watched the stars…"

"That sounds fun…" Jellal spoke for the first time, as everyone looked at his direction with surprise.

"But we didn't bring any tents…" Levy realized.

"We have it here. And sleeping bags too…" Natsu secured everyone, as what followed was we agreeing to do that the next day.

…

"I'm so tired…" I yawned, stretching myself over the bed. My pajamas were already on, as I waited on Natsu to put on his and lie next to me.

"Good night…" He lied down next to me, already changed.

"You know…" I turned over to him, before he could turn off the lights, and got myself closer to him, pressing our bodies together, putting my leg almost at full display as my boxer shorts slipped up, on top of him, whispering sexily to his ear. "I was so turned on when you fought that bad man who tried to stole my car…"

"Gray…" He called my name, as I ignored him, starting to kiss his neck. Then he turned to the side, to look directly at my face. "Gray, I can't…" My face cracked with those words.

"What…?"

"I can't do it in here… It's my grandmother's room…" I abruptly turned to the side when he said that. "I'm sorry…"

"This trip is coming out really well, don't you think…"

"Hey, don't be like that…" He came closer to me, hugging me from behind. "I'll make it up to you, I promise…"

"It's okay…" I turned over to him. "I'm not mad at you…"

"Everything will work out just fine, you'll see…" He gave me a kiss, before turning to the side. "Good night."

"Good night."

And so, the lights went off.

…

"Let's get moving everyone!" Erza shouted the orders, coming in front of everyone else.

"Are you sure you don't want to go, Lucy?" Cana yelled to her friend, in front of the house.

"No, I'll be fine!" The blond girl shouted back.

Erza led the way during the whole walk, it was a good forty minutes' trail to the top of the plateau. We were taking three tents, and four sleeping bags, one for each couple and an extra one for Cana.

The sun was burning up over our heads. I took a sip from my water bottle, holding hands with Natsu whilst we walked.

"Hey, Natsu!" Gajeel's heavy voice could be heard from behind us. "I bet you I can run to top faster than you can!"

"Yeah, right. I thought you were done with me constantly kicking your ass!" My boyfriend yelled back, while I was admiring the view of the clear blue sky lighting the woods under us, with my sunglasses on.

"Is that your way of saying you won't race with me because you're afraid to lose?"

"I'm not racing with you, man…"

"Okay, then…" Gajeel teased running away.

"Wait, Gajeel…" Levy sighed, seeing her boyfriend go.

I smiled, feeling my boyfriend pressing my hand harder, trying to contain his will to run after his rival. He and Gajeel has been rivals since they met during the Universities Olympic Games, where they fought each other for a Judo match. Back then, Natsu would probably take Gajeel's bet in the blink on an eye. But since things started to get real with us he tried to contain his childish self, for me, even though I never asked him to.

"It's okay…" I whispered in his ear. "Go…" My boyfriend looked at me, surprised. But it only took a sign of approval from my head for him to let my hand go and race towards the brunette man.

"What are we going to do about these too…" Levy wondered.

"It doesn't hurt to let the kids have fun once in a while…" I teased. Only then I realized Loki's breathing coming from behind me, and was reminded he was there, too. "What about Loki? How are you hanging on?"

"I don't know man. To be honest, I don't think coming in a trip with Lucy was such a good idea…" I looked down, as I did whenever Lucy's name popped up. "I don't understand. We were doing so good before, you know? It's the most serious relationship I've had since I entered college. But now, she is acting so weird, so distant… I don't know what's going on" That conversation was hitting too close to home, probably since I knew exactly what was going on. "I mean, she didn't want to be alone with me, if you know what I mean, since we got here. And last night, she and Cana talked all night while I decided to sleep, and she didn't even seem to care, you know?" I felt bad for Loki. I have never seen him genuinely interested in a girl so far since I met him, and now I was the one that set Lucy off.

"Maybe it's not your fault…" Levy pondered. "Maybe she was just tired. I understand your trip to get here was really troubled. She was probably tired…"

"I don't know… She was acting weird from the get go, and that's even more odd considering the great time we had the night before. You know, after I left you waisted on our room, Gray." The orange haired boy joked, trying to light up the mood.

"I know what's going on…" I said those words with difficulty, looking at the landscape. "You know, Lucy was dating Natsu when he and I… You know. He broke up with her to be with me. I never saw her much after that, but I take it she didn't take it very well…"

"Oh man! That's what it is! Why didn't you tell me?" I swallowed dry with guilt.

"I guess the chance haven't come up till now…"

"So, Lucy is Natsu's ex? What are the odds? Imagine how it must've felt for her when we were back in his father's house and all…"

"It really wasn't my brightest moment, what I, we, did to her… I always thought I should've apologized, but never knew how…"

"I guess this is your chance…" A sudden voice came from behind us, making all three of our heads turn around, to see Jellal.

"Jellal? I thought you were way ahead…" Levy said.

"Erza asked me to go behind of everyone to see if anyone needed me."

"You and her make such an odd couple…" My roommate suddenly spoke, completely inappropriate, in the best Loki fashion. I punched his arm in return. "No, don't get me wrong. It's oddly sweet. It's just because Erza is… you know, Erza, and you are the one person similar enough for her to be with…" This time, I stepped on his foot. "Ouch! What did I say this time?"

"No, he is right." We could hear the sound of him smiling. "I guess we are an odd couple, huh? I know I'm probably not very friendly, but it's mostly because I'm very shy, plus I got a resting bitch face, but it's really not my intention to be mean."

"So how did you and Erza meet?" The small girl with the blue hair asked.

"I was studying one day at the lawn one day, when I saw this beautiful freshman girl. She was shouting at a group of seniors who had thrown trash in the grass. She really caught my eye." We all were paying deep attention as Jellal told his story, while Levy had a smile on the whole time. "I never stood in much, to be honest, but that girl really was something else. I got the courage to ask her out, but she said no…"

"What?" All three of us shouted in unison, turning our heads over to the man walking behind us.

"But for the whole week I had lunch with her, and walked with her by the campus. She didn't seem to have many friends, but it was okay, because I didn't either, and after that week, I asked her out again, and she agreed. We were both very shy during that date, it was clear none of us had much experience. But, somehow, it clicked. And we stayed together that whole year. But, in the end of the year, with my graduation, I thought it would be wise to let her go. She would still have three years of college to go, and our timing wouldn't always match, and I thought I would only hold her back if we stayed together. I told her that. And she punched me in the face…" Everyone burst into laughter when those words got out of the blue haired boy mouth. _So Erza._ "And so, we are together still. I know you probably think we are a weird couple because we don't display much affection for one another in public. But... I love her…"

After he said that, Levy started fangirling over their relationship, and she hugged Jellal really tightly saying how cute that was. It was indeed a side of that mysterious man I had never seen.

"You know…" The man from behind us came back to talking, pausing dramatically. "I was a virgin when I met Erza…"

"What?!" This time I was the only one that shouted, but the rest of us seemed equally surprised. Me and Levy exchanged looks. I knew we both were thinking the same; Jellal was actually really hot to stay a virgin for that long. Taking a look at him now, walking the trail with a tank top on, sweating, with his strong arms out, all I could think was; _I would hit that_.

After a while, we got back into being silent. But a question still had to be made.

"So, Jellal… What do you do exactly?"

The blue haired man laugh echoed through the trail.

…

When we finally reached the plateau's top, everyone was already there, and the tents were already built. All three of them. Me and Natsu were sleeping in the same tent as Loki, Cana was with Gajeel and Levy, and Erza and Jellal had the third one all to themselves.

 _How Lucky_ ; I shivered with the fact that even now Natsu and I couldn't be alone. This trip was definitely not going as I planned."

"Hey Gray…" Natsu's voice woke me from my thoughts. "Unpack our sleeping bag."

"What? I thought you brought the sleeping bag…"

"No, man, you did…"

"Shit."

We both unpacked our bags, only to realize none of us had brought the damn sleeping bag.

"What now?"

"Hey, I brought mine. Maybe we three can fit…" Loki suggested.

"No. I'll go get it…"

"I can go with you." My boyfriend volunteered.

"No, please. Let me go, I'll be back very quickly."

I just needed a moment to clear my head, and eighty minutes of walk seemed ideal to do it. As I walked down the trail, suddenly the clouds gathered above me, and rain started falling down. Apparently, it _could_ get worse…

As soon as I saw the cabin, I ran towards it soaking wet. There was no way I would go back there with that rain. I entered inside, slamming the door behind me, soaking wet.

Resting my back against the door, and taking a breath, suddenly my eyes met hers. Lucy was there, sitting by the table with a book. Awkward silence followed the slamming of the door, whilst we were alone for the first time, separated by the length of a room, since the blond girl was in the exact opposite side of that cabin.

After I freed myself from the paralysis of that awkward moment, I climbed the stairs to my room, to change. Going into the kitchen, after that, to get some water, Lucy was there too, and, again, that same paralysis took over me, seeing the blond girl standing there. She soon turned over to the door, seeing me, and I could see she was, too, shaken, but this time, she didn't let it show, and just walked past me, getting out of the room.

Shaking my head, letting the moment slip by, I went to get some water, and, as I did, I remembered Jellal's words.

" _I guess this is your chance…"_

Determined, I walked to the living room, and there Lucy was, reading her book, sitting by the table. I took a deep breath. It was time to do something I was supposed to do two years ago.

"Hey, Lucy…" I said that awkwardly, sitting in front of her. "So, what is this book about?" She looked at me, raising her eyebrow, not understanding what was going on. To be honest, I didn't have much of an idea of what was happening either. "Listen, can we talk?" I cut the chit chat, inhaling, searching for courage to start that talk.

"Fine." The blond woman put her book down, looking straight into my eyes, the back of my neck in chills. "What do you want to talk about?" I wasn't ready for this.

"So… I know this trip hasn't been easy for you, and I know I'm partly responsible for that…"

" _Partly_ …" She repeated myself, in irony.

"Okay, fine. I guess, what I'm trying to say is; can we come clean with our past, and move on?" I saw her looking away, her hand turned into a fist. It was clear she wasn't happy with that conversation.

"So…" She said with difficulty. "Which part I'm I supposed to move on from? You seducing my boyfriend away from me, or sneaking out with him while we were still together?" She shot those words at me, turning her head again towards mine, her eyes full of tears waiting to fall. I swallowed dry, looking down.

"You're right…" I said, after a few minutes of silence. "You're right. What me and Natsu did to you is abominable… And I should've apologized a long time ago, but I was a coward… So, I'm sorry…" Suddenly, all of the tears Lucy was fighting against came running down her face, and all that could be heard was her sobbing.

"It's just…" She said, after a few minutes, when she already had recollected herself. "I dated Natsu for five months, and looking at him with you, it's clear that he never loved me…"

"That's not true, Lucy…" I barged in. "He had great affection towards you, even if not romantically. He didn't want to hurt you..."

"So that's why he had me acting like a fool for months, having sex with you, while I was desperately trying to figure out what was going on with my relationship, thinking it was my fault…" She said the last words of that sentence with great difficulty, bursting down into tears again one more time, whilst I shivered remembering one time I saw Lucy crying to her friends, thinking Natsu didn't love her anymore. That was the lowest point I ever found myself in.

"I'm sorry for that…" I reached out for her hand, as she pulled it away.

"For the whole time we were together, he never talked to me about his family, about his hometown…" Lucy was looking away, recomposing herself. "He never acted with me in the way he does with you…" She finally looked at my direction again, calmed down. "He really loves you… And that's why it is so hard to be around you. I don't know if I ever have what you have…"

"You are Lucy. You are a beautiful woman, you are interesting, captivating…" I took a shot going for her hand again, and, this time, she let me. "You can't let the ghosts from your past keep you from enjoying your present… Well, that came out way cheesier than I intended…" The blond girl laughed. "And I am really sorry for we did to you, I am… If I could go back…"

"It's okay." She suddenly said, looking straight into my eyes. "Natsu told me, back then, that you insisted at him to break up to me, and he was the one that couldn't get himself to do it. Not that this makes it okay…" Lucy added, suddenly. "But at least it makes it a little less awful…" I smiled at her, and she retributed. "I spent all this time hating you, but I guess I was just frustrated with myself, what happened with Natsu really scarred me, I saw myself as a failure. I got afraid to go for other relationships till recently, and whenever I tried to find someone to blame, it was your face that came up, which wasn't entirely fair… Not that I'm realizing now that you and I should be friends. I still don't like you… I just don't _hate_ you." I smiled with those words.

"I can work with that." And so, the silence came back to take the room, as there were no words left to be spoken, and we just sat there, two rivals, finally sitting down to talk. I know there was no going back to undo what I did to Lucy, and I know she would never entirely forgive me, but just to get her to listen to me, it was something. Actually, there were still some words to be spoken. "And Lucy… Don't take it down on Loki, he really likes you."

"I like him too. I guess I have been harsh on him…"

"So… From one nemesis to another… Do you want to play a game?"

"Fine…" She smiled. It was all good now.

Lucy and I spent the rest of the day playing board games. We cooked together, had dinner together. There was still a barrier between us, but it was getting smaller, and that was already something.

In the next day, while she read her book, and I sat by the table not doing much of anything, the rest of the guys finally came home.

"Gray!" Natsu shouted, seeing me, as I turned over to him. "You're okay!" My boyfriend came over to me, for a hug.

"He was worried about you all night…" Levy said.

I smiled, responding to his hug; remembering Lucy's words…

" _He really loves you…"_

…

"Okay, you can take it off now…" Natsu said, finally.

I took off the blindfold covering my eyes, seeing a picnic set up right in front of me, right under the cherry tree. It was a scene from a movie. I turned over to my boyfriend, searching for answers. He smiled at my surprised face.

"I know this trip didn't come exactly as planned…" He came closer, until our bodies were glued to one another, and he grabbed my behind. "But you said you wanted a romantic getaway, so…"

Amused with what he had done, I didn't know what to say. I just pulled him closer by the neck and pressed his lips into a tight romantic kiss, and we stayed like that until our lungs begged for air. After that, we stayed standing in front of each other for a while, just smiling at one another.

"So, shall we eat?" Natsu finally spoke.

"I know you put a lot of thought into this picnic, but I really just want to get into the water…" In a single move, I took all of my clothes and jumped into the water.

"Wait…" The pink haired man screamed at me, but it was too late, I had already splashed into the water.

Swimming in that body of water, butt naked, I could not feel freer. It was like my well-deserved vacation had finally started. I took my head out of the water, hearing the sound of the waterfall, feeling the shock of its cold temperature against my skin, and my eyes immediately met my boyfriends from the other side. He was sitting in the grass, only his feet inside the water.

I swam to the man, giving him my sexy eyes, as he smiled, blushingly. I got to him, pulling his body closer to mine.

"You're wet…" Natsu complained, as I pressed our bodies.

"Come in…" I pulled out my sexy voice.

So, I started exploring his neck, nibbling and sucking it. My wet hands went on to his back, carving my nails into his shirt, as a desperate move to press ourselves together even more.

"Gray…" He moaned my name, as to protest, but couldn't get himself to do it.

I left his neck and gave him a thirsty look, coming to his mouth. I pressed our lips together, my tongue meeting his. Then I took it out, biting his under lip.

I took one of my hands off his back, taking his short off and pressing it against his abs, he groaned with the temperature shock. My mouth was now focused on the other side of his neck, while Natsu's head was looking up to the sky, as I inspected his body.

Slowly, my hand came down his belly, leaving a trail of water by it. I put it under his pants, that area was really warm. In a single move, I grabbed his dick with all I got, making a loud groan slip from his mouth, feeling my cold hand take control of his hard cock. I felt it pulsing in pleasure, as I slowly moved my hand up and down his stiff member.

While his dick was wrapped around my hand, I slowly left his neck with my mouth, going into his torso, my body increasingly being taken over by lust, wanting to swallow him whole, as I kissed and licked his warm skin with my cold mouth, whilst pink head couldn't keep his guttural groans to himself, with my ministration of his dick.

I got to his nipple, that sensitive little piece of meat, and gave it a long lick, feeling him shiver. I went down and down with my mouth in his torso, licking his pecks. Man, he was hot.

As I got down and down with my tongue in his belly, and was still slowly jerking his dick off, I fell a drop of pre-cum squirt from his cock. I suddenly stopped with my mouth and my hand, giving him a shameful look, making Natsu blush, whilst he tried to breath, gaspingly. In a move, I pressed my thumb hard against his penis' head and put my tongue out licking all of his abdomen from the bottom to the top.

"You better come into the water…" I whispered into his ear, making him looking at me still breathing with difficulty.

Suddenly, I dropped his member, making his sorry face grow towards me. Smiling, I took my hand out from his pants and unglued our bodies, while he was still confused with what I was doing.

I swam away, with my eyes still focused on my boyfriend, whilst he recomposed himself together. Giving me his angry look, as I smiled at him. He got up and took his pants off, his huge bulge inside of his tight boxers in full display, until he took them out, freeing his hard cock, and he jumped into the water, as I swam away.

He chased me, with me going into the waterfall's direction. When I finally put my head into that falling body of water, I felt Natsu pushing me by the wrist, making me face him.

Before I could assimilate, my boyfriend pulled by the neck into a rough kiss, our tongues fighting with each other, wanting to dominate the other completely. We moved towards the waterfall once again, still kissing, and like that we stayed, feeling the cold water fall down on our heads. Our bodies were a mixture of cold and warm; cold thanks to the water that surrounded us, and warm thanks to the lust that was taking over our bodies.

When there was no more air inside of our lungs, we finally interrupted the kiss, but I still craved my teeth into his under lip and pushed it, giving him my hungry eyes.

After I let it go, I looked down, at our cocks touching each other, only their heads out of the water. I smiled with the reminder that mine was a few inches bigger, and licked my lips with pink head's pink head starring up at me.

In a single move, I turned Natsu over and pressed his body against a rock that was behind him, so that his ass could finally be pointed at me. My mouth watering with the sight of my boyfriend's fat bums finally in display.

I got down into the water, so my face could be in the same height as pink head's asshole. Taking my tongue out, I gave one long lick into his pulsing hole, as he let a moan slip from his mouth as I did.

After that, I emerged my body from the water, pressing it against Natsu's, as he lied against the rock. My left hand came for his dick, pressing my thumb against it's head. My legs spread, just like his, but I wouldn't put inside him, not yet. Instead, I inserted one of my fingers from my right hand into his pulsing warm anus. A loud scream came out of his mouth as I did that.

"Do you like that?" I whispered into his ear. "Ever since we met, your little asshole has grown wider and wider." I smirked. "Why is that, huh Natsu?" I noticed as he tried to respond, but only loud groans could come from out his mouth, whilst I inserted one more finger. "I like feeling your asshole pulse for me. It reminds me of the whore you are…" I said as I moved my fingers more and more frenetically inside of him. As I put on the third one, his groans became violent screams, and his hand came to my hair, holding it tightly as I moved them inside his anus. "I missed those screams, I missed you yelling like a little bitch while I pounded you. Is that what you want, Natsu?" My breath was hitting the back of his neck as I whispered and he screamed, feeling his whole-body shiver from behind me, my fingers widening inside his little aperture. "Do you want my big cock inside of you, moving back and forth in your little hole? Do you want my dick buried inside his fucking hole so deep you won't believe the pleasure you'll feel, just the way you like it? Is that what you want?" He couldn't get himself to respond amongst his yells, and my fingers widening his asshole even more. "Answer me!" I whispered threateningly, threading my fingers roughly inside his anus.

"Y… Yes…" He slipped the word from out of his throat, with great difficulty.

"C'mon, you can do better than that…" My hand was moving more frenetically than ever, as my inserted fingers were almost getting to his prostate. "Beg… Beg for me…" Natsu was pulling my hair more violently than ever.

"P… Please… Gray…"

"Please Gray, what?" I insisted, making him shiver in frustration, whilst screaming from under me, as I gradually stopped the speed of my fingers, massaging him slowly.

"P… Please Gray…" He spat those words from out his throat. "Fuck me…"

As those sorry excuses for words came out of my slutty boyfriend's mouth, I slowly took my fingers out of his butthole, and distanced myself from his body, shaking in lust. He turned his head over to me, his whole face was bloom, his lips were red, and his eyes were watery, all while he was breathing with great difficulty. I smiled, dirtily, at how pathetic he looked, licking my lips, proud of my own self for giving my boyfriend such pleasure.

I got closer, inserted the head of my penis inside his anus. A small skirl came out of his mouth as I did that. In a single move, I buried my big cock into his narrow asshole, and a loud scream of pleasure was slipped by the boy with pink hair underneath me. He pulled his head back, feeling me whole as I slammed my cock into his prostate.

I took myself back for a moment, but before he could complain, I came back harder than ever, pounding him with violence. I, myself, couldn't keep my screams to myself, shouting from the top of my lungs.

Recollecting myself, I took it out, and taking a deep breath, put it in again, with all I could, slamming my stiff member inside my boyfriend. As I did that, I finally let his cock go, and he came spectacularly.

I led my hand, dirty with his cum, into his mouth, making him feel his own taste, while he tried to recollect himself, breathing with difficulty, shaking and letting his body rest.

With one more violent pounding, I came myself, my semen exploding inside of him, as I fell into his back, resting my face on him, we both taking deep breaths, trying to recover ourselves.

"Now we can eat…"

…

"Okay guys, let's take our final picture!" Erza gave the order. We all got together in front of Natsu's cabin, smiling and posing. "Jellal, can you take it? Your arm is longer." Erza asked her boyfriend, and came to us, as Jellal went to the front and stretched his arm, taking the selfie.

"Wait, wait." I pronounced myself, before everyone started to move. "I also would like to take a polaroid."

"Okay, but who will take it?" Levy questioned.

"Jellal can take it. He is the least related to our group, anyway…" The redhead harshly said, making everyone exchange looks with their eyes popped.

"No, she is right."

The blue haired man said, like it was no big deal. He was probably already used to those kind of Erza-isms, or maybe he was just too in love to care, or notice. It was probably the second option, but that is a talk for another day.

And so, I gave him my polaroid, and he took the picture, giving it to me after, as everyone started to move towards the car.

"Hey, Lucy, let's go together in the same car!" Cana excitedly said towards her friend.

"I love you Cana, but if you don't mind I would like some moment alone with Loki…"

"Hey, man!" My roommate rested his arm around my shoulders, suddenly as I put the bags inside of the car's trunk. "Thanks for talking to Lucy. Things are much better now…"

"You're welcome, _dude_." I teased, closing the trunk, whilst everyone recollected themselves to their respective cars.

Inside ours, Natsu grabbed my hand in the front sit, and we both exchanged smiles, before I started the vehicle.

Who knew that trip that gave me such a headache back in the day would be, a couple of years later, the only thing able to calm me down during a night of crying.


	7. April, 2012-The University Olimpics I

"Are you nervous?" I asked my boyfriend, sitting on my side in that hot bus, holding him hands.

"Hum?" Natsu turned his head over to me, taking his eyes off the window he'd been staring at, quietly, since the beginning of our trip. "No… It'll be fine… Won't it?"

"Yes…" I answered with a smile, leaving my face towards his, kissing his lips, a passionate kiss, as a way to calm him down.

We were going to the annual sports competition between Japan's big universities. The University Olympics. And both me and Natsu were going to participate in it.

He would fight Judo for Todai, while I would swim. Natsu was the one who encouraged me to go for it, when we started going out and he found out I've been swimming during my whole childhood and teen years, seeing as my mom was a swim teacher and all. I was no Olympic swimmer, but I was good at it, modesty aside. Natsu told me I should look for the swim coach of the university. I was a little unsure, but so I did. She told me I was up there with her best swimmers and that I should compete, so there I was.

Natsu, on the other hand, had also fought judo her entire life growing up, in his hometown dojo, he was a blackbelt fighter, and even got a scholarship because of his abilities with the sport. Pink head was majoring physical education, and they had to apply to participate in the olympics, even if they didn't get selected.

But something was not right about that whole situation. I could feel Natsu not feeling comfortable there, and I didn't know what it was, and also, I was apprehensive to ask, because it seemed he didn't really want to talk about it.

"Attention everyone!" Erza's loud voice pulled me away from my thoughts, whilst the redhead walked to the front of the bus, accompanied by some short girl with blue hair. "We'll get to the resort in a few minutes, there, to our athletes the coaches of your respective modalities will be waiting for you in front of the building, you shall meet them there. Everyone else who is not competing, you can go straight to the reception, and get the keys of your rooms. If you have any sort of question or face any kind of trouble during your stay here, you can come to me, or Levy any time you want."

"Why is she always in charge of everything? Shouldn't a counselor or at least a senior be in that position?" I heard a girl talk from behind me.

"Well, you should know that Erza runs Todai…" I jokingly said, turning around. That was when I shivered seeing that it was Lucy, Natsu's ex-girlfriend with whom he cheated on with me, and her friend, Cana, who were sitting behind me, giving me an unamused looked. Embarrassed, I turned to the front again. "Who is this girl anyway?" I asked Natsu, still fixated on the window.

"Hum?" Pink head turned to me, unware of what I just said.

"Nothing…" I put my hand on his leg and gave him a tender look; aiming at his eyes. "Are you sure you are okay?"

"Yes." My boyfriend answered, smiling.

Suddenly, the bus stopped. The resort hosting the olympics was in Yokohama, so it was just forty minutes away from Tokyo, thank god, because the heat was intense that day, and it was only made worse by the fact that we were locked inside a bus with glass windows.

Holding hands, me and Natsu got out of the bus, until we went our separate ways to our respective coaches.

Mrs. Ichimoku was a pretty woman, still in her thirties. She had black hair, and pale skin, with brown eyes. Mrs. Ichimoku was the swim coach of Todai, and her nature was of a kind, gentle woman. As I walked to her, the other three boys had already arrived and were waiting on me.

"All right, lawyer-boy is here." Daiki said, pressing my shoulder with his hand.

Daiki was the star of the swimming team, he was a tall senior with blond hair, and, more importantly, had a declared crush on me. He came from a lineage of great swimmers and held himself in a pedestal, deemed his on ass as unshakable and flawless. And, indeed, he was perfect whenever he swam, his timing would be the better one amongst the other four men in the team, if it weren't for Jiro, but more on that later. Daiki was the typical entitled brat from a rich family that felt like he could get anything he wanted, which explain him hitting on me all the time although I replied over and over than I had a boyfriend. But, although I hated that aspect in him, his talent in the water was undeniable.

Kei was the second one on the team, and despite him having the worst timing out of the four of us, he was still a great swimmer. We were the four best, after all. A thing I liked about his swimming was how much fun he had doing it. He wasn't doing it to carry his family legacy or to show himself off like Daiki, he was doing out of his own will to have a good time. I could relate to him because swimming meant to Kei the same it did to me; it was an unattached hobby. In terms of appearance, he was my height, give or take, was thin and had dark blond hair. Also, Kei was a sophomore. We should always expect to see a smile on his face, as he was kind and gentle, always there to support the others and say nice words. Kei was the glue that kept that team together, considering the two giant egos that were in it with him.

And Daiki biggest rival, Jiro. That junior boy was a mystery figure. He simply never had any expression on his face what so ever, and, even though he tried to disguise it, it was clear he felt like he was above the others with his swimming. Always quiet on his corner, never engaging in the conversations, giving them an arrogant look. It was really nerve wrecking; one wanted to simply snap, and shake him back and forth until we could get a measly reaction out of him. And that was how brilliant Jiro was in his approach. Because the apathy, acting like he was so much above he couldn't care less, was what set his enemy off the most; Daiki. They both had the exact same timing and they both claimed that to swim was what moved them. Jiro's technique was beautiful, you just couldn't get his eyes off of him while he crossed the water, while Daiki was more violent doing it, almost desperate in the way he wanted to stablish himself as the best one. And even though Jiro was always with a resting bitch face on, we could sense how much he loved being in the water, we could feel his passion, something I didn't get from Daiki. Appearance wise, he had messy black hair with bangs, was short almost resembling a small teen, and had green eyes.

And I fell in the middle of all that, when I went to Mrs. Ichimoku to introduce myself. She clocked my timing, and she kept an eye on me for two weeks, until she invited me to swim with them in 2012's olympics. I just didn't know what was expecting me.

Michi, the man that used to fill the spot I was filling right now, graduated Todai the year before, and they couldn't find a replacement until I came along, late last year. Then became practice three days a week leading up to that event. Being on the cleaning team, and having to practice for the competition was really overwhelming, especially how stressing that environment was, with Jiro's and Daiki's egos going head to head against one another, and the blond man hitting on me all the time.

"Okay, guys. We've been training for this moment for a long time. We've got this! I trust each and every one of you!" Our coach began with her pep talk. "It says here the swimming competition starts at three o'clock, so we still got six hours to relax and prepare ourselves. Anyway…" Mrs. Ichimoku fell back into reality, cutting the chit chat. "It says all athletes have to register themselves. In our case, we have to go to the pool…" The teacher took a map of the resort out of her pocket, unfolding it bluntly. After a while, turning the map around again and again, trying to find where we were and how we should move, she finally said; "Come with me…"

Still looking aimlessly at the piece of paper in front of her face, she started walking like she had no idea at where she was going, guiding us along. Suddenly, I felt a heavy arm fall around my shoulders. I rolled my eyes, realizing it was Daiki, trying one of his stupid moves at me, again…

"What up lawyer boy?" As I opened my mouth to respond, the blond guy soon cut me, after Jiro turned his head around, giving us a look of despise. "What are you looking at, emo?" He shouted. "Can you believe this guy… He is so…"

"That's great Daiki, but…" Now I interrupted him, taking his arm from around my shoulders, stopping walking to look directly into his eyes. "I have a boyfriend. This won't happen, no matter how much you insist."

"Keep telling yourself that…" The jerk smiled at me, making me press my fists in anger. Before I could do anything, Kei's voice coming from behind us interrupted me.

"So… How are you guys feeling today, are you excited?" The dark blond haired boy asked, whilst we started walking again. "How are you feeling Gray? I know it is all knew to you…"

"It is definitely… something." The words came out of my mouth, as I, myself, tried to track down how I was feeling. "I never thought I would do something like this. I mean, swimming has been a part of my life so far, but it was only a hobby…" Suddenly, I was interrupted by a hand grabbing my shoulder. I sighed realizing it was Daiki again.

"But doesn't mean you won't bring it today, right?" The man looked at me, straight into my eyes, in a threating way, for the first time not talking at me lust oriented, as the boy was dead serious.

" _I did it! I did it, mommy!" My small legs swam at my mom, clumsily, whilst a smile I appeared in my lips. "I swam the whole pool without taking a breath!"_

" _You did it, honey!" My mom was smiling at my four-year-old self, tenderly, wearing a black swim suit, her ebony hair, like mine, all wet. "I'm so proud of you!" I hugged her, making her grab me tight and kiss me on the cheek. "You're going to be such a great swimmer…"_

" _Will I be so great I'll become a teacher, like you?" My thin voice asked, making her laugh echo through the room of the sports school she used to work at._

" _You will become so much more honey…"_

" _More than you?" My tiny self-asked, not understanding how that was possible, making she laugh again, and then look at me with tender, again._

" _I have a proposal for you…" My mom started talking, touching my nose. "Why won't we bet who's faster? One, two three, go!"_

 _In a single move, she dived into the water, swimming to the other side of that pool, as I laughed and tried to follow her, protesting about how unfair that was._

"Yes." I answered the boy with his hand on my shoulder, trying to calm him down. It was clear that subject wasn't easy for him, as he couldn't bear the thought of losing.

Once calmed down, we three started walking again, following our coach, who was clumsily walking around with a map buried into her face, not knowing what exactly she was doing.

"I found it." Jiro shouted.

Going to the sound of the boy's voice, we all met at the front of a glass house-like structure. Inside there was a really big pool, with six divisions, and two sets of grandstands, one in each side of the room. My body was covered in chills when entering there.

"Hi!" A feminine voice echoed through the room, and my eyes spotted a young, small girl with short brown hair in the other side of the pool. "Are you here for the Olympic Games?"

"Yes. Hi, I'm Hana Ichimoku…" Our supervisor went walking to the other side while she introduced herself, me and the boys following her. "I'm the swimming coach of Todai, these is our team."

"Oh, hello, my name is Kiyoko, I work here at the resort, and I'm helping organize this event. I'll just need you and your students to register, signing here…"

But as the woman proceeded to talk, my mind got lost in the clear blue pool water, as I stared directly at it, seeing my reflection.

" _Mom, why did we come here?" I heard my brother's loud voice come from behind me._

 _That day, in the middle of my middle school years, had been really stressful so far. Lyon was claiming to be studying for his final exams, without actually studying for them, and he was driving everyone in the house; that was, me and my mom, crazy with his moody attitude, and his constant complaints about us talking too loud even if barely opened our mouths._

 _Trying to keep calm, I asked him if I could use our shared laptop, since he had been using it all day to surf the internet, while pretending to be studying. I insisted a little bit, while he rudely denied. Of course, I couldn't keep that going for long without snapping at him, and so I did, and it didn't end well._

 _After fighting and beating each other into the hallway, I tripped and fell down the stairs, not before pushing Lyon with me, since I looked for something to grab that could've supported me and thought his shirt was a good idea. That took us to the hospital, where they stanched the bleeding coming out of our noses. Getting out of the hospital, instead of going home, our mom stopped by the sports school she worked in, and walked in there, to the room with the pool she taught classes in._

" _I want to show you guys something…" Our mother started to strip down in front of us._

" _Mom!" Me and my brother protested, whilst she proceeded to keep only her underwear on._

" _Please, take your clothes off and get on the water."_

 _We blushed with those words, she jumping into the water, splashing water on us. Lyon and I took our clothes off, except our underwear, and cautiously went inside the pool, giving one another a face of disdain._

" _What do you want with this mom?" I asked shivering from the cold water._

" _I know things have been stressing lately, especially for you Lyon…"_

" _Yeah, right." My mom gave me an amused look after I interrupted her to call Lyon out on his bullshit, and I looked down, trying to avoid her angry expression._

" _Anyway, as I was saying, whenever I feel stressed or underwhelmed, coming to the water really calms me down. My whole life I swam, and it always was the highlight of my week, especially when I had problems at home, fights with my mom, or heartbreaks. I went through some really dark places before you two were born, there were times where I couldn't even get myself out of bed just because of how sad I were. I only got out of my bedroom to go to the water. It just… gave me a sentiment of clarity, a bit of hope also, whenever I just lied down, letting my body float surrounded by water, or when I immerged my body in it…"_

" _Why are you telling us this, mom?" My stupid brother interrupted her, making me turn my head over to him, angry and stupefied at how clueless he was, since I was really hooked up on the story. My mother, on the other hand, only smiled, gently, to her idiot son._

" _I guess all I'm trying to say is, whenever things get too dark, or too dense, it wouldn't hurt to get some time to breath, to sort things out. And no one will judge you if you do. And that you both should find something or somewhere to go to when things get too rough, just like swimming is for me. Because I don't want you to grow up tense and uptight, about to explode to one another or other people at any given time, only because you don't know how to process what you're feeling or what's happening in your life, just like what happened today…" Touched, Lyon and I exchanged ashamed looks. "Come her boys…"_

 _Our mother came to us for a group hug, making me and my brother blush and complain, but nevertheless, still correspond, as the three of us stayed inside that pool for a few minutes, surrounded by each other's arms._

"Gray." Hearing my name being called made me come back from my thoughts. I looked to the front, and Mrs. Ichimoku was standing there, with the other girl from the resort. "All you have to do is sign here." She pointed me where my name was in Kyoko's clipboard, before I signed.

After that, they gave me an identification badge, and I was good to go. After declining another one of Daiki's insistent moves towards me, I left my swim companions behind and went to the reception, to get the key to my and Natsu's room.

It was a bit odd, not to say nerve wracking, the fact that this was going to be the first time that me and Natsu were actually going to share a room, as a couple, unless if you count the night he spent with me in my old bedroom when my mother had a heart attack, which I didn't.

I went inside the bedroom and lied down on the bed, taking a deep breath. Things were starting to get real, to the point I was doubting myself about the fact I agreed to take part of this stupid competition. My life was way different from the kids on my team, they actually breathed swimming, that was really important to them, and to me, it was always a hobby, and I was actually moving apart from it since the training started. It was simply not my world.

After a while trying to break things down on my head, I heard the door slam. Lifting my head, a smile appeared on my face seeing my boyfriend pressed against it. He was the one who didn't seem very happy.

"Hey…" I said, siting myself, in a sleepy voice.

"Hi…" Pink head came over to the bed, sitting by my side.

"Is everything okay?" He hesitating in answering, taking a deep breath.

"I just… I hate him!"

"Who…?"

"Who? That idiot Hohaku-sensei, that's who! He is just so rude, and crass, and arrogant! He knows I'm the best one he's got, yet still he treats me like crap! And don't tell me it's just some strategy to motivate me! It doesn't make me want to be better, it just makes me want to shot him!" After Natsu was done vomiting his words out, he rested his face on my shoulder. "I'm sorry… It's just… I think things aren't the same for me anymore…"

"I know what you mean…" I looked to the side, seeing as pink head's last sentence really hit close to home.

…

Taking a deep breath, I left the empty locker room. It was time. With every step I took towards the pool area, hearing the cheering, I couldn't help my anxiety from taking over me. I'd never done anything like that, and the thoughts of me fucking it up wouldn't come out of my head.

I stood there in the dark hallway, one step away from entering the glass house, the light of the room hitting me a little bit. In a determined move, I shook my head trying to get the scary thoughts away, and walked into that intimidating place.

Suddenly, I felt someone pushing my arm. It was Natsu, standing near the door. Just seeing his smile helped me calm down, and I smiled back seeing his messy locks covering his forehead.

"Man, you look sexy in a speedo…" My boyfriend ironically said, staring down on my body.

"You've said that already…"

"Did I?" With a suggestive smile, he pulled me for a kiss, and then, put his hands on my cheeks, looking directly into my eyes. "Hey. It's going to be okay. You're gonna do fine." I smiled back to his tender smile at my direction.

"I hope you're right… Anyway, I gotta go…"

"Hey." As I moved forward, I felt his hands grabbing my wrist, making my head turn to him, again. "I love you."

"I love you too." I smiled at him, and went my way.

Crossing the grandstands, hearing the people talk, being lighted by the sunlight entering the room through the glass ceiling, my heart jumped inside my chest, whilst I spotted Mrs. Ichimoku and the boys and went to them.

"Okay, Gray is here!" The coach exclaimed, seeing as I approached them. "Ok, guys, you've got this. Don't doubt yourselves even for one second…" Our coach started the motivational speech, while we stood in front of her. "I believe in you. And you have to believe in you if we want to win this!"

"The first style of swimming is the breaststroke." A voice from the microphone echoed across the room. "Please, the competitors competing in the breaststroke style should all get in your marks."

I shivered hearing that manly voice talk. It was my time. Why I should be the first one to go. Suddenly, Mrs. Ichimoku hands grabbing my two cheeks woke me up from my undeveloped panic attack.

"It's your time to shine Gray. And you better take it!"

"It's going to be okay, Gray." Kei's voice said from beside me.

I turned over to him and the dark blond-haired boy was smiling at me. He was really sweet. I looked over to the other guys. Jiro was staring at me with indifference, and Daiki had a really threatening expression on his face as he looked at my direction.

"Okay. Yes. I got this." I said as I shook my body, trying to dug that confidence from under me.

I went on to the second division on that really big pull and got on my mark. After that horn went off, I jumped into the water. As I move I couldn't help my head from getting kidnapped by old memories.

" _Mom?" My voice echoed from across the room._

" _Honey?" My mother was on the other side, storing something in the cabinet. "What happened?" She asked, realizing the tears coming down from my face._

 _In a single move, I took out my clothes and jumped into the pool, immerging my head inside the water, trying to clear it from what I was going through._

 _Taking my body out from that body of water, I breathed with difficulty, looking around at where I was. The pool area of the sports school my mom worked so hard to build._

" _Honey?" My mother's voice woke me up from my thoughts, as she entered the pool with her black swimsuit on. "Is everything okay?"_

In a single move, I got to the other end of the pool, and in a single move, turned around to go back to the other point. I was too motivated to even realize what I was doing, just going along with my movements, as the memories inside my head moved me.

 _After my mother was on the water, I ran towards her, for a hug, as she put her hand on my head, resting it on her shoulder, my tears still falling._

" _It's okay. It's okay. Everything will be alright…"_

" _I broke up with Juvia, mom. And," I continued talking, before she could barge in. "I know it was the right thing. I didn't love her. But I'm just worried for her, I might have broken her, mom…"_

" _No, honey. The best thing you did for you and for her was to end it. Nothing good could've come from dragging out a relationship that wouldn't do any good for any of the parts involved."_

 _My mother's wise advice echoed through my head, as I kept hugging her tightly, resting my wet face on her left shoulder, breathing deeply, whilst my tears dried out. I missed being on the water. Whenever things got too hard it was those two aspects of my life I ran to. My mother, and the water._

" _Mom…" I said, after a few minutes of us hugging one another, inside the pool, in silence. "I'm gay."_

 _My body shivered after those words came out of my mouth. But my mom kept hugging me, and then, she kissed my head. That was all I needed right then. A smile appeared across my mouth. And tears came back, falling down my face, but those were silenced tears. Tears of joy._

In a single move, I dug up my head from the water, as I reached the other side of the pool, breathing deeply. Suddenly, loud cheers took over the room, as I aimlessly looked around not knowing what was going on.

Then I saw the swimmers from the other divisions next to mine reaching out to the final line, so to speak, and, shocked, I realized. I looked to the scoreboard, and there my name was, above everyone else's. And my timing was the best I ever got.

I breathed hard in disbelieve, as the truth settled in inside of me. Then, I looked up, and Kei was there, reaching his hand out to me, my heart still racing inside of me, mouth dropped. The dark blond smiled seeing my reaction, and I grabbed his hand, getting out of the pool.

"You were amazing, Gray!" The small boy said to me.

"Gray!" I felt my coach's arms grabbing me, into a hug. "You were amazing!"

"Congratulations…" Jiro said, as Mrs. Ichimoku was still hugging me, in a monotone tone of voice. I think that was the first time he ever addressed me.

After my teacher finally released me, Daiki came to me, with his arrogant smile on, and grabbed my hand for a handshake.

"That was… _hot_." I stared at him, still lost with all that was going on, enough not to care with his inappropriate flirting.

After he let go of my hand, I was still completely unaware of what I had just done. I looked around, my head shaking, as I saw the public sitting on the grandstands as just blurs, and the lighting from the sun was really confusing me even more.

Then, I felt another hug. It was Natsu. I was just too lost to see him approaching, but feeling his arms around me and sensing his smell was just enough to calm me down. I rested my head on his shoulder, while the man on the microphone announced me as the winner of that round, so to speak. His hot touch surrounded my cold body, and like that we stay, for a couple minutes, as my head stopped shaking and I finally digested what I've just done.

"Congratulations, Gray!" I lifted my head up, seeing Erza standing there, smiling at me. That was rare. Natsu finally let me go, so I could shake her hand.

"Congratulations!" A small voice came from behind the redhead. It was the small blue-haired girl who was accompanying Erza all trip long. _Who is that girl anyway?_

After my fifteen minutes in stardom were up, and all the people that came to greet me were back on their sits, it was time for my colleagues to shine.

Kei was next, he was going to swim backstroke style. He came in third, but his timing actually improved, so he was pretty happy about it. Although, he was always happy, so I'm not sure if that count much as something major.

After that, it was Jiro who went next. Him and Daiki fought about who was going to swim freestyle, and him ended up losing, since the blond man was a senior, and entitled to everything in nature, so the mysterious boy had to settle for the butterfly style. He also came in first, but, as usual, didn't showcase any type of emotion for his achievement. Daiki, on the other hand, didn't seem to have a problem showcasing his spite with his rival conquest.

By then, we had two swimmers who came in first, and I felt really good about our chances. But then we got to Daiki.

The confident, rude, tall men with blond hair didn't see this coming. No one did. But it happened. Daiki came in last. We were all shaking, seeing the almighty falling like that. In that humiliating way.

He stormed out of the pool, and we all swallowed dry, preparing for the huge storm that was coming. No one cared about winning that, and about swimming in general, like Daiki did. His family was composed of great swimmers, and rumors had it he learned how to swim even before learning to walk. All that plus his giant ego and pride, it was obvious he was feeling humiliated.

But instead of throwing a tantrum, Daiki just looked directly into our eyes, forcing his tears inside, and left. The look he gave me gave me chills on my neck. It was really scary.

"I'll go talk to him…" Kei volunteered, walking out of there.

"It looks like we won't win after all…" I looked over to Jiro after those words came out of his mouth. The dark-haired boy didn't seem to showcase any kind of compassion for his teammate, or even, in the worst-case scenario, a smile, celebrating his victory over his rival. At least something that would make him seem… human.

After the winners were announced, and, as no surprise, we didn't win, me and Jiro went to the locker room to exchange clothes. Appearing by the door, we saw Daiki resting his head resting on Kei's shoulder, crying, none of them realizing we were there, and I wanted to stay that way, stopping before entering into the room, but Jiro fucked up my plan.

"Well, we came in fourth…" He said in disappointment, stepping into the almost empty locker room, making me close my eyes for a few seconds, preparing for the fight that was about to go down.

"Oh, look who's here! It's the prodigy boy!" Daiki stood up, turning over to Jiro, as the brunette took his clothes off his locker. The only response the blond got was a look of disdain from his rival, like he couldn't be bothered. And that sort of attitude was exactly what set the tall man off. "Congratulations, man. You got what you wanted. You defeated me. After you came into _my_ swimming team like it was no big deal, and tried to take everything from me. You finally did it! You got to see me fail, humiliate myself, in front of everyone. Now, everyone thinks I'm trash…"

"No one thinks that." Kei interrupted, being completely ignored.

"And you get all the glory… But of course, someone with your caliber is too occupied being so perfect to act like you care with any of this…"

"Actually, I care with one thing…" Jiro finally said something, making everyone on the room, including me, turn our heads over to him, in complete surprise. "My head still hurts from swimming so fast, so if you could turn your voice down a little…"

"What did you say, you dirty emo?!"

Moved by rage, Daiki moved towards his rival, ready to hit him, while the mysterious boy continued to dress himself, like he wasn't seeing the big man move violently into his direction.

"Hey!" I finally barged in, putting myself in between the two boys, as the blond had his hand closed into a fist, ready to punch the other's face. "What do you think you're doing man? Is that really the message you want to send us? That you're the small person, that you can't control yourself. That you fall into every trap he puts in your way?"

"I already lost everything, whatever do I have to lose by punching this bastard's face?" He said those words moved by hate, his veins popping.

"You haven't lost everything!"

"Oh please, even Kei scored better than me!"

"Hey!" The small boy shouted, offended.

"Anyways, I'm going." Jiro said from behind me, already fully dressed, as Daiki moved forward with his fist still lifted, and I stopped him, by putting my hand on his chest.

"I'm going too." The dark blond followed the mysterious boy and they both got out of the room, leaving me and the tall guy alone into the room.

After a few seconds, he put his arm down and burst into tears, again. Not sure of what to do, I hugged him, trying to calm the man down, as he sobbed desperately.

"I'm trash Gray… I lived my whole life preparing for moments like this, and I blew it… My father was watching me today, you know. And I know he's disappointed. He always is, ever since he reached to the conclusion I was not able to be an Olympic swimmer, like him… But I always tried to prove to him I was not a complete waist, competing in those _stupid_ school and college competitions… And it was never enough, even when I won. And now…" Daiki couldn't get himself from finishing that sentence, bursting into tears once more.

"You're not a waist Daiki. You're really not. And if your father can't see this..." Suddenly, the blond tall men pulled my head into a forced kiss, sticking his tongue into my mouth, while my eyes were wide open shocked with what was happening. In a single move, I slapped his face, ending that nightmare of a kiss. "What are you doing? I have a boyfriend; can't you understand that?!"

He turned his head over to me, threateningly, but I was still firm, looking angrily at him.

"Whatever… You know it's really hard to believe in your pep talk if later you pull something like this…" He said, moving towards the door, as I rolled my eyes at what a jerk he was.

"Wow." Natsu's voice suddenly echoed across the locker-room and I turned around in surprise.

"How long have you been there for?" I smiled, meeting his eyes with mine.

"Long enough to see you turn down that guy. Man, your boyfriend must be really hot for you to turn down someone like him…

"You're an idiot…" I smiled at pink head's silliness. "Don't you should be getting prepared for your match?"

"It's only at five, I got time… Besides, I wanted to see you before I go to see that _jerk_." Natsu said in spite, referring to his sensei.

"Ok, I'll just exchange clothes and we can go…"

"Take all the time you need…" My boyfriend smiled, dirtily, at me as I said those words, and I retributed the smile, blushingly.

…

"Mrs. Ichimoku…?" I knocked gently at my teacher's door.

"Gray?" She opened her door suddenly. "Come in…"

"There's no need. What I got to say is quick."

"Well, what is it?"

"I just want to say I'm resigning from the swimming team." My coach's face cracked as I said those words, like it was no big deal.

"Gray… Are you sure you don't want to come in? We can discuss it…"

"No, please. There is nothing to discuss." Mrs. Ichimoku looked at me like she wasn't assimilating anything I was saying.

"I'm sorry, Gray… I'm just so confused…"

"Swimming for me has always been a hobby, something to clear out my mind when I wasn't feeling well, something that reminded myself of my mother, she is a swimming teacher too, you know…"

"That explains why you're so good." She smiled at me, and I smiled back.

"But, as I was saying, when I'm swimming with those guys, it's not like that, it's not like that at all. Everything is so tense, and uptight, and there's always fighting, and wounded egos… And I know that's probably how sports competitions go…" I inserted that remark in seeing as the dark-haired woman opened her mouth to say something. "But it has never been about the competition for me… That's just not who I am… So please…"

"It's okay, Gray." My coach, or, former coach, interrupted me with a smile, seeing how tense I was, trying to justify myself. "I won't force you to stay. It's just… You have such a talent… But it's okay, that's not you and I have to respect it. Come here…" She grabbed me for a hug. She was actually a really nice woman. "You are a great swimmer…"

"You're a great teacher…"

…

I passed through some unamused people to get to my place, asking them to excuse me, while they shrunk their legs for me to pass. Finally, I got to my sit, right next to Erza.

"What did I miss?"

"Well…" The redhead opened her mouth to answer my question, but as I look to the front, I saw Natsu in his kimono entering the mat.

"Oh, never mind, Natsu is coming…" I interrupted my ginger friend, not trying to repress my excitement. That was the first time I saw Natsu fighting, and I don't what it was, but seeing him in that kimono really turned me on.

I looked over to the other side, and his opponent was a skinny kid, although he was really tall, with messy short black hair, and pale skin, from Osaka University. They bowed each other, as I was at the edge of my sit with hysteria for what I was about to see.

The two boys went to the middle of the mat, while I grabbed my chair, leaning my head, in a mixture of nervousness and excitement.

Natsu already explained to me how a judo match worked. It was won when you immobilized your opponent on the ground, falling in his back. If you immobilized your opponent with half their back on the ground, it was called a wazari, and it counted as half an ippon. The yuko counted as a third of an ippon, it happened when the opponent fell by their side, and the koka was the lowest punctuation in a judo match, it was achieved when your opponent fell sitting down, and it was worth a quarter of an ippon.

The match started with the two boys grabbing each other's kimonos, trying to make the other give in, so they could take the opponent down. I was on the edge of my sit, even though I wasn't fully understanding what was going on. They started forcing their heads down, to make one another give up. Suddenly, Natsu's adversary let his kimono go for split a second, and he took advantage of that, pushing him by _his_ kimono, bending down, so the _enemy_ would trip on his body and fall. And so, that happened, and the dark-haired boy fell on his belly, and Natsu immobilized the guy, by lying on top of him. The boy was immobilized for sixteen seconds, until he managed to roll my boyfriend over from the top of him.

After that, they both went back to their sides of the mat, while I was left confused, after all my screaming and cheering.

"What happened?"

"Natsu scored a wazari." Erza explained.

"But wasn't that only when you immobilized your opponent with only half their back touching the ground?"

"It can be, but is also when you immobilize them for more than fifteen seconds…"

"This is so confusing. But it means that if he scores one of these again he'll win, right?"

"Yes." My chest was taking over by excitement when she said that.

"You can do this, Natsu!" I shouted.

So, they went onto each other again, grabbing one another by the kimono again. Only this time, Natsu was the one that fell, when his opponent made him trip putting his foot behind his leg. Even worst, he fell with almost all his back on the ground, if it weren't for his legs, who were still arched, preventing him from being completely stretched on the floor.

"If he is immobilized for thirty seconds, he loses…" The ginger woman beside me said like it was no big deal, making my whole-body chill, as I desperately yelled at my boyfriend to get up.

Luckily, he managed to unleash himself after nineteen seconds. Now, they were tied with one another, and I was more nervous than ever.

Again, the two boys went to their sides of the mat, before approaching one another again, again grabbing each other's clothes, trying to force the other down. But then, in a single move, Natsu took advantage of a misstep his adversary took, and put his foot behind the boy's leg, making him trip. But this time, he fell with his back all stretched out against the floor. It was a ippon. He had won!

Our whole side of the grandstand cheered in excitement when the pink-haired boy won the match. His hair was completely messy and sweaty, and with the top half of his kimono opened, showing off his belly, he raised his arms up in commemoration, turning around to us. Our eyes met and his smile grew even wider. What a beautiful smile he had.

…

"You're still here…?" Natsu said, surprised, walking into the mat, seeing me there. It had been a while since the tournament ended for the day, and my boyfriend was qualified to the next phase, after winning all his fights for the day.

"I've been waiting for you to appear."

"Sorry… It's just that… Ugh, that guy is so annoying!" I knew it wouldn't be long until he snapped at the sensei. "I mean… I worked my ass off in here, and he still will find a reason to criticize…"

"I know, baby, it sucks. But…" I pushed him closer by his hand. "if it works as some kind of consolation, I thought you were amazing…"

"Your opinion is the only one that really matters…" He pressed his other hand against the wall and came closer into a passionate kiss.

"You know…" I said, after our lungs ran out of air and we let each other's lips go, grabbing him by the black belt around his waist, pulling him closer. "I think you look really sexy wearing this kimono, taking your adversaries down…" I walked with my fingers on his bare collarbone, smiling dirtily at his direction.

"Oh yeah?" In a single move, Natsu put his foot around my legs, making me slip, falling on my back in the mat, as he gave me a victory look, softly putting his foot above my penis area, on my pants, as my organ was already getting harder inside of them. "You're out." Pink head smiled in amusement seeing me lying on the ground underneath him, in complete defeat, but I was too turned on to feel humiliated.

Completely horny, I pulled him by the neck, giving my boyfriend a lust kiss, breathing deeply. He spread his legs around me, kneeling down on the floor, while I stayed lied there, in between his thighs. That time, I let him take full control of me, for a change, as he conducted our kiss, his tongue battling mine, and his hands grabbing my wrists tightly, while my arms were stretched above me.

After our kiss was terminated, he looked at me with his hungry eyes, licking his lips. Just seeing him there, full of desire, was enough to make my whole-body shiver.

I longed for the moment where he let my arms go, so I could finally take that stupid kimono out of him. I carved my nails on his chest as I pushed the parts of the upper piece of his judo uniform, revealing his worked-out abdomen, we both looking directly into one another's eyes, drooling with desire.

Then, I untied the blackbelt from his waist and surrounded his back with it, pressing his body against mine with it. And so, he started exploring my neck with his mouth as I did that, sucking it, while I started to slip out moans of pleasure from my mouth.

I disposed of the belt, throwing it to the side, and finally took his shirt off of him, whilst he nibbled my earlobe. Trying to discount all of my pleasure on him, as my penis pulsed inside my tight jeans, I carved my nails on Natsu's back, scratching it.

Amongst his bites and kisses in my neck, Natsu took my shirt off, and went back into grabbing my wrists and pressing my arm against the ground, forcefully, leaving me completely submissive for his disposal.

The pink-haired boy went down with his lips in my neck, reaching my collarbone. He kissed it, softly, and continued to go down, exploring my belly, his eyes going back to me from time to time, to see my expressions reacting to the pleasure he was making me feel. I could see he was liking that switching of roles, and the position of power I gave him.

My thoughts disappeared from my mouth, and the first loud groan came out from my mouth after he nibbled my nipple, and continued to lick and bite my skin. I could feel his bulge from inside his pants, touching my naked torso.

When my boyfriend's lips were finally approaching my groin area, he looked over to me, and I couldn't help it but to show my face, begging him to release me from those jeans and finally play with my hard cock. He smiled at my despair and went back up with his mouth, giving me a long lick.

Then, Natsu finally released my wrists, who were already hurting by then, giving me a suggestive smile, whilst he grabbed me by the belt, putting a few fingers inside my jeans while doing it, finally unbelting me, releasing me from my punishment, after he unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans, so my bulge could finally pop out, and my dick could breath.

He took my pants out of me, completely, leaving me only with my boxers, my hard cock almost jumping out from them.

"Now, let's see that huge dick…" Natsu smiled at my direction, putting his hands inside my underwear in one move and grabbing it with his cold hands.

Fuck! I couldn't help but to let a loud groan slip, feeling his cold hands wrapping my warm member, my whole body shivering with that touch. It was torture. It made me _almost_ sympathetic towards Natsu whenever I was fucking him.

"It's bigger than yours, without a doubt…" I found the strengths within me to tease him, in between the shaking of my body.

Smiling at me, pink head pulled down my boxers, leaving my cock in full display for whoever wanted to see. Slowly, my boyfriend's hand started to stimulate my penis, while I was founding it harder and harder to breath with his increasing in speed ministrations with my dick, and moans were starting to come out of my mouth, louder and louder. Suddenly, I felt his thumb pressing my cock's head tightly, and looked over to him in despair, seeing what he was doing.

"Now, you're going to feel everything you make me go through, whenever you're fucking me…" His husky voice threatened me. I could see from his smile pink head was enjoying all that.

"Your only in control because I let you…" I spat those words from my mouth, trying to recover some of my dignity. Suddenly, the movements Natsu was making with my dick stopped, and he looked at me with a fake surprise look.

"Is that so…?" That question came out in an ironic, almost mocking tone of voice, and pink head slowly pressed his knee against my balls, while moans of both pain and pleasure came out of my throat. "You're going to regret saying those words…"

I breathed deeply, unsure of what was to come, but being careful not to show any sign of concern. Natsu grabbed my dick again, but this time aroused it at full speed, as my screams echoed across that room, feeling his now warm fist managing my cock, moving aimlessly and lurching against the floor, stretching and rubbing my feet against the rubber mat underneath me, completely mad with the pleasure.

I immediately regretted how pathetic I looked, after Natsu suddenly let my dick go, and I look to him completely lost, forgetting where I was for a few seconds. My cheeks then blushed, as everything fell back into place, and pink head was smiling at me, like he was winning.

"Excited much, are we?" I swallowed hard with frustration after he said those words.

But nothing could've had prepared me for what was coming next, after my boyfriend took his tongue out of his mouth, and slowly licked the point of my penis.

Fuck! I felt a shockwave passing through me, and a loud yell came running out of my throat, seeing at how unprepared I was to feel that type of pleasure. I just wanted to get out of that embarrassing position and fuck Natsu raw, discounting all of my frustration on his asshole, but I couldn't move, just shiver lying on the mat, as my eyes watered and my chest was wrapped up with lust.

Natsu continued to explore my dick, licking the underside of that muscle, moving his tongue around it, before putting my cock completely in his mouth, while all I was left to do was to punch the rubber mat from under me, trying, in vain, to keep my groans inside, which just made me look even more pathetic, whilst I twirled around on the ground, with every muscle of my body hurting.

My climax was building up inside of me, feeling Natsu's warm mouth go back and forth into my dick, his tongue swirling uncontrolled, my stomach completely wrapped inside of my torso, as I kicked the air with all the pleasure I was feeling with every bone in my body.

But suddenly, pink head released my dick from his mouth, and all I was left to do was wine, rolling into the ground, feeling a drop of pre-cum come out from my cock. I was _almost_ there.

Suddenly, I felt his warm hand wrap my cock up, and a squeal came out of my mouth. It was all I was able to do, seeing as I was completely tired, lying there, naked, in defeat. Natsu had me completely on his hands, but I was _not_ going to admit it to him.

"So, will you admit it?" My boyfriend stretched his body over to my face, whispering in my ear. I bit my under lip, as a tactic to keep any sound I could make inside, not that it would make much of a difference, seeing as my whole naked body was shaking under Natsu's. "I can make you feel so good…" He whispered in a husky voice, his breath hitting against my shoulder, making me shiver completely. "Just admit it." Pink head grabbed my dick even harder, and I groaned loudly, blushing with his defiant look the boy was giving me. My eyes were watering with pleasure, and I turned my head to the side not to be completely humiliated. "Say I'm in control." The threatening way he said those words made me shiver again from underneath him, and a drop of pre-cum come from out my penis.

Slowly, Natsu came back to managing my penis with his hand, going back and forth with it, as I still looked away trying hard not to emit any sound, but I didn't need to, the shaking and swirling of my body spoke for itself, not counting the tears of pleasure that were now coming from my eyes.

"Are you sure you don't want to admit it?" He came into whispering in my ear, biting it. "I can suck your dick in a way you never been sucked before…" Weak squeaks came out of my lips as he said those words, still wrapping my cock on his hands. "I can lick your cock, your pulsing, hard, big cock, until you beg for more, kicking the air in pleasure." He pressed my penis harder, as he referred to it. "You look so sad lying there, crying like a baby. If you would only admit it, I could finally fuck you raw…"

"Y…" I couldn't bare it anymore, I reached my climax, I had to succumb to his wished. "You're in control…" Suddenly, the ministration on my member stopped, and I breathed deeply, not believing that I just caved in.

"Well then…"

Natsu got out from above me, his sweat body making a sound as he moved away from my sweat body. He then approached my dick, as I could feel his breath hitting my hard muscle, before giving the underside of it a big lick. I let go a scream feeling his hot tongue against my organ.

And then, there it was again, he went all in with his mouth, putting my cock inside of it, as I swirled against the ground, feeling how warm his tongue was, as it moved around my dick, playing with it.

Completely shaken by what was going on, I breathed with difficulty, my hands pressed into fists and my feet stretched and moving around, as I desperately felt my time coming, my whole insides wrapped up. And finally, pink head's tongue licked the head of my penis, and my cum blasted off of my dick, splashing everywhere, that warm, white liquid.

Still trying to recover myself, shaking, with my chest hurting and seeing everything blurry from the pleasure I just felt, Natsu came over to my face, as I lied on the ground in defeat, and, with a smile, he pushed me for a kiss, making me feel the taste of my own semen on his mouth, as I closed my eyes and let him take control of my tongue, exchanging air with me, after I ran out of it, with the punishment he gave me.

There was no will of fighting inside of me anymore, seeing as my whole body was hurting from that session. It turned out that Natsu really won all of his battles that day.


	8. April, 2012-The University Olimpics II

After I got my movements back to me, and was able to dress myself again, Natsu and I got out of the dark dojo, our hairs completely messy and clothes crumpled, and our expressions completely guilty. Luckily, we wouldn't meet anyone at our walk of shame…

"What do we have here?" A heavy voice spoke up as soon as we stepped out of the room where we were misbehaving. My neck chilled when I heard that, as Natsu and I exchanged looks, before turning around to see who was that.

It was a tall, brawny man. He had a long, straight, black hair, and a dragon tattoo on one of his arms, alongside with a piercing on his nose and another one under his lips. The man was wearing all black, and combat boots on his feet. All in all, he had a punk visual. He was also competing in the judo competition, and I remember finding him really good by watching his matches, and rooting for him not to go against Natsu, fearing my boyfriend could get hurt. Luckily, it didn't happen, at least not yet.

The guy was resting his arm against the wall, with an annoying smile at us, while all I could do was to look down, blushing.

"What do you want?" Natsu shot at him, while his expression of amusement for walking on us fucking in the dojo wouldn't seem to go away.

"Natsu Dragneel, right? I'm Gajeel Redfox, from Kyoto University…"

"I know who you are." I poked my boyfriend on the arm with my elbow, seeing that there was no need to be so rude.

"I saw you on the mat today… You are good, not as good as me, of course…" Pink head snorted with those words, already pressing his hands into fists. "You know, I could really use what I've just seen there for my advantage…" My eyes popped when he said those words, and Natsu took a step further, but I grabbed his arms before he could jump on the man, who had a grin smile stamped across his face. "But I won't do that… I rather kick your ass fair and square, on the mat."

"Not if I kick _your_ ass, jerk!" Natsu shouted at the man, as I pressed his arm more strongly, trying to keep him from advancing.

"Anyway, see ya!" He turned around, walking away.

The pink-haired boy was visibly annoyed by that encounter, his vein was popping in his forehead, and his body was trembling in rage as we watched that Gajeel guy go away.

"He is such a jerk!"

"Do you know him?"

"His reputation precedes him. Everyone tells this story about this Gajeel. He thinks he is better than anyone else, and treats everyone like crap. I can't wait to bury his face on the ground when I take him down!" Natsu spat those words out of his mouth, with anger.

"Okay, but you don't have to be so angry. If he's such a douchebag, he'll go down eventually."

"Yes, and I'll be the one who'll take him down."

I smiled at my boyfriend's confidence, it was one of the things that made me love him. After he calmed down, we kept on walking our way out of the building, when other people appeared in front of our eyes…

Erza. Kissing a man. Right in the middle of the hallway. My eyes popped and my jaw dropped, as I saw the uptight and reserved bossy redhead making out with some random guy with blue hair.

Natsu faked a cough so they would realize we were standing there watching them go at it with one another. And thank god he did that, because if that scene continued, I think I would have thrown up.

More embarrassed than us, though, was Erza as soon as she opened her eyes and saw us standing there. The ginger woman poked the man kissing her neck on the shoulder for him to stop, but apparently, he didn't get the signal, and kept going, while she was completely paralyzed seeing me and Natsu there. Erza had to push the man away for him to notice they had company.

After that, she and her date just stood there, blushing, looking at the floor, while me and my boyfriend stood in front of them, shocked.

"This is Jellal…" Erza swallowed hard, finally breaking the deadly silence that took over the hallway, introducing us to the guy standing next to her. "He is my boyfriend."

Boyfriend?! Erza had a boyfriend?! What was going on? I became even more shocked than before, whilst Jellal stretched his arm at my direction, for a handshake, and I took a few seconds to respond, trying to process everything I had just witnessed and heard.

"We met at the university…" A blushing Erza added, trying to explain herself, seeing my state of shock. "He was a senior last year, we've been dating for a year… That's it." That was the first time I ever saw Erza breaking out of her almighty, intimidating pose.

Jellal was standing next to her, quietly looking down as she explained their relationship to us. Besides his blue hair, that man also had an unusual scar crossing his left eye, though I guess it was his right. Anyway, he seemed very quiet, and wasn't showcasing any sort of emotion. I could see them working out after all.

"Wow, Erza. That's so cool…" Natsu finally said something, trying to make everything less awkward. "Anyway, we have to go, right Gray?"

"Bye…" I said, walking past the two of them, whilst my boyfriend pulled me away by the hand. "She has a boyfriend?" I whispered, after we got out of the building, finally, after all those awkward encounters.

"Aw, c'mon, I thought it was cute. It just shows that everyone can find love."

"Even someone as intimidating as Erza, I guess."

"It's not that bad, though. She is actually a really beautiful woman."

"I guess, if you can surpass all those threatening layers of intimidation and coercion…"

"So…" Natsu grabbed me by the arm. "Are we going to hit the party tonight?"

"The party? Wow, I had completely forgotten… I just thought you weren't in the mood for a party since we got here…"

"Yeah, I was sort of down, sure. But after my fights, and our little fight after, I cheered up. So, are you going?"

"Yes." I looked at my boyfriend's eyes, with a smile. There wasn't saying no to that face. "Yes, of course. Let's go to the party." He rested his pink locks on my shoulder. "We should celebrate your victory today, after all."

"It's your victory too, you know. I mean, you did come in first at your competition…"

"Okay, fine. Let's celebrate our victory."

…

It was eight o'clock when we walked into the hotel's lobby. We were all dressed up, and Natsu was grabbing my arm, as we passed by the students who were already there.

On the first night of the Olympics, the resort was hosting a party for all the students who came, either to compete or just to watch. It was a big event, with waiters going around with drinks and snacks, and it occupied two rooms as a whole, the lobby, where everyone could sit and talk and the dance room.

Suddenly, I saw Lucy passing by us, making a disgusted face, watching Natsu grabbed to my arms. I shivered seeing her, embarrassed to be with the boyfriend, that, technically, I "stole" from her.

"Why is Lucy here?" I whispered into pink head's ear, after she had already walked by. "Is she competing at something?"

"No, she is here as part of the university paper. She is a journalist student, remember?" Natsu then stopped walking, and turned over to me, facing me. "Look, don't let Lucy's presence here stop you from having a good time…"

"No is not that, is just…" The pink-haired guy started to mumble randomly, for keeping me from talking.

"No, I don't want to here." He put his hands on my shoulder, aiming his eyes at mine. "We are here to have a good time. Let's focus on that."

"You're right…" I said, after the few seconds I took to process that motivational side of my boyfriend that had just appeared. "Damnit, you're right. Let's have a good time!"

"Gray! Natsu!" We heard a voice calling us, and turned around to see Erza sitting at a table with her boyfriend.

Not knowing what to do, the pink-haired boy and I exchanged looks. I didn't want to go sit down with Erza and her mysterious boyfriend, but at the same time, we couldn't just ignore her calling. Realizing that the staring was taking more time and it should, I decided to make a move and accept our fate.

"Hi, Erza! And… Jerald."

"It's Jellal…" Natsu whispered next to my ear.

"Jellal! How are you?" I walked to them and we both sat on their table, while the blue-haired guy rested his arms around his girlfriend's shoulders. That was really uncomfortable to watch.

"We're great." The redhead took the liberty to respond, sipping from her glass of wine. "Have any of you seen Levy?"

"No, we just got here. Listen, Erza" I was about to ask the question that was bugging me since the beginning of the trip. "who is that girl?"

"She is my protégée." The ginger woman asked like it was no such thing.

"Your what?" By then, I just wasn't sure she was already drunk or she was being serious. It was hard to know with that woman.

"My protégée." She repeated it again with the same tone of voice, as I replied with a confused expression. Only then, the redhead bothered to explain. "Ever since I started this crusade to look after our institution, I realized I needed pupils to carry my task of threatening the Tokyo University with the dignity it deserves, and to guide its students to their place along the stars"." As Erza continued her passionate speech, my head grew even more confused, and even a bit terrified "That's why I had decided to look for my apprentice amongst this year's freshmen. Enters Levy. She had everything I was looking for in a protégée. She is smart, her grades are really something else, she is focused, she is kind, she is majoring in education, like me, I thought she really got what it takes to pass my legacy along." After she finally stopped talking, my jaw was wide open trying to process everything the ginger sitting in front of me had just said.

"So… You find this random girl in our university, and coerce her into following your weird cult around, and she accepts, weirdly enough, because… Because, of course she does because you're Erza and you're terrifying as hell…" I concluded my own line of thinking, seeing the intimidating woman I was referring to sitting in front of me agreeing with everything I had said, not realizing how bizarre it all was. "Okay. It's official, I need a drink."

"Natsu!" A loud female voice shouted from beside me, and we all turn around to see that one Lucy friend that was sitting with her on the bus.

"Hey, Cana!" Pink head stood up, greeting her by kissing her cheek. "How are you? It's been a long time…"

"Yes, it has." The brunette gave me a discrete look after saying that, not seeming very pleasant. I got the message instantly.

"Anyway, let me introduce you. Everyone, this is Cana, and they are Erza, Jellal, her boyfriend, and my boyfriend, Gray." He landed his hand on my shoulder after saying my name.

"Hi…" Again, the unpleasant look at my direction, as she sat by the end of the table. "Lucy wasn't feeling well and went to her room, leaving me here, I am totally here only to meet hot guys, by the way, and I saw you here. It's been a while since we talked so I decided to come here, and well, here I am."

As Cana told us her life story, I finally got the waiter's attention, after innumerable failed tries.

"Hi, so, I would like a glass of wine please…"

"Make it a whole bottle." Natsu's newfound friend barged in, making me look at her, and we exchanged looks, again. "And bring the glasses."

"Anyway…" Erza's voice popped up again, breaking the silence that took over the table after the waiter left, and we all turned over to her. "I brought a deck of cards so we could play…" The redhead picked up her purse, and searched inside of it, as all of us stared at her cluelessness about what actually goes down on parties like that. "Here it is. I wished Levy could be here so I could show her my tricks, but she isn't so…" The ginger girl finally lifted her head, seeing the surprised expression on my face, and the one in Natsu's face, not understanding them. "What?"

"Nothing, Erza… Anyway, let's play, shall we?" My boyfriend tried to get out of that awkward situation by going along with Erza's planning.

"I know what we should play." I barged in. "Remember that game we played when we met?" I asked the redhead sitting in front of me. "That one where the last person to put their cards down had to take a sip of whatever beverage was in display.

"I'm great at that game." Cana said, out of a sudden, making all the heads at the table turn over to her, as if remembering she was there, after being quiet for a while. Her timing couldn't have been better, because exactly after those words left her lips, the waiter came, putting the wine bottle and the glasses down on the table.

"Well… I'm great at that game, too." I defied her, taking that chance as something we could bond over.

"Let's see about that…" The brunette stretched herself over to the cards, picking them and shuffling them back in her sit, all while staring directly at me with a defying smirk on her lips.

Very similar how my game with Erza, Loki and Lyon went on the day I moved to Todai, everyone eventually got too drunk to keep on keeping track of what was going on, and who was winning, but me and Cana both won at least three rounds.

"You're so cool…" The brown-haired girl who was giving me the side-eye moments before said, grabbing my hand. "I can't believe I thought you were a monster or something…"

"Awn, you're amazing too!" I replied, with the same drunken voice she had.

"Guys…" Natsu interrupted our affection of love. "I found Levy…"

My boyfriend was staring at something, his eyes were popped, and he seemed shocked. We followed the direction of his face, and I chocked on my wine, seeing the small blue-haired girl who were following Erza around the whole trip, was pressed against the wall by Gajeel, the brawny punk that caught me and Natsu getting out of the dojo after having sex on the mat, and his tongue was going at it inside her throat. Out of all the things that surprised me that day, seeing the muscular bad-boy-like man making out with the cute, shy, nice little girl was by far the top of the list.

"Levy?!" Erza screamed, interrupting the weird couple during his make-out session.

They both looked behind, to see the blue-haired girl's mentor completely stupefied by the fact her apprentice was kissing a man of dubious character, pressed against the wall.

"Oh, my god…" The small woman blushed, pushing her fling away.

"What's happening?" The brunette guy asked, confused.

Facing down, Levy came towards our table, not noticing her fling from before was following her steps. She stopped in front of Erza, completely ashamed.

"Levy, what's going on?" The redhead asked, plain and simple, while everyone in the room, except for Gajeel, was expecting her to freak out. A dead silence followed the ginger's woman question, except for her hiccups.

"Yes, Levy, what is going on?" The man behind her repeated the question.

"Yes, Levy, what is going on?" Natsu shouted the same question, standing up, whilst everyone turned over to him in surprise. "That man is evil!" Pink head pointed to Gajeel, who's face had cracked, realizing his rival was there.

"Wait, are you friends with that loser?"

"You're the loser here, douchebag!"

"Oh, it's like that? Do you want me to tell what you and your boyfriend were doing lying down in the mat during this afternoon?" I swallowed hard, seeing I was being dragged to the middle of that madness.

"I want to know…" A deranged by the alcohol Cana said, giggling stupidly.

"Everyone, listen." I stood up, trying to end that hysteria. "Levy clearly has something to say, so let's listening to her, shall we?"

"Yes." Erza agreed. "Levy?"

"Nice way to get yourself off the hook…" Natsu whispered into my ear, while we sat down, making me smile and roll my eyes at the same time.

"Erza…" The small girl started her speech, looking down and swallowing hard while doing it. "I know I agreed to be coached by you, and to enter your sorority…"

"Fraternity…?" I said to myself, shocked with Erza's ability to bullshit.

"And I'm glad you chose me. But," The blue-haired woman said, firmly, finally looking up, to her mentor's eyes, making me shiver, since I'd never seen someone stand up to Erza like that. "I won't let you boss me around, saying who or not I should date or make out with, especially when I found the sweetest guy, with whom I have a lot in common with. I'm sorry Erza, I respect you, but I'll just not put up with this type of stuff."

We all stared at Levy in shock, the silence had taken over the room, as the small woman looked directly into her instructor's face, who, on the other hand, wasn't showcasing any sign of emotion.

"Hum…" Natsu forced a cough, trying to break the ice, making my eyes roll and my body shiver, seeing, that whatever it was coming next, it couldn't be good. I grabbed his arms as my boyfriend started to get up, but he freed himself from my hands and got up anyway. "Levy, even though I couldn't agree more with what you said, I still don't think you should go out with this monster!" The pink-haired boy pointed to his nemesis on the other side of the table, reaching newfound levels of drama.

"Oh, c'mon people, she was just making out with the boy, it's not like they are going to get married on the next day…" A wasted Cana barged in, seemingly bored with the whole situation.

"Thank you… Whatever your name is…" The short woman said towards the drunken brunette.

"Gajeel…" Those were the first words to come out of Erza's lips after her protégée confronted her. Her boyfriend, sitting right beside her was completely silent, as he was ever since we sat down on the table with them, before the chaos started. He really wasn't a talkative guy. "Can you please sit here?" The redhead gave Jellal a sign, and he sat on the chair next to the one he was sitting on, so that the punk man could sit next to the ginger. "So, I would like to go through a questionnaire with you, if that's okay, just to get a sense of the type of person you are…"

"Oh please, just take a look at him. He is a rude, ignorant man." Natsu said, already sat down next to me again, but still talking loudly and offending his enemy. He, too, was completely wasted.

"That's not true." He tried to defend himself to Erza, instead of engaging in a fight with my boyfriend. "I mean, I may look like this, but I'm not mean spirited, I study hard, I come from a poor background, so I value the worth of working hard, I also do charity, I'm a psychology major, even though I did get my scholarship through judo."

"And what about your behavior during the competitions? Everyone says you are mean, and brute." Natsu shot again at Gajeel.

"That's true?" The redhead asked.

"No! That is a character I pull, I'm not _actually_ like that. I'm just very competitive and insecure, that's the way I know how to channel those emotions without them getting the best of me…"

I was actually surprised by the brunette's attitude. I never knew if that side of him was true, or if he was actually that in love with Levy that he came with that out of nowhere, even though they had just met, but the fact was, my boyfriend was getting really annoyed with that stunt his rival was pulling, deconstructing everything pink head was shooting at his way. Taking a glimpse at Natsu, we could notice how enraged he was, pressing his hands into fists and clenching his teeth, seeing Gajeel succeed playing the good boy.

While the Natsu versus Gajeel battle continued, having Erza as the judge, I turned around to Levy, who was sitting at the opposite end of the table from Cana, embarrassed with the whole thing.

"Can I give you one piece of advice? Get out of this while you can." I said, turning around to Natsu and Gajeel again. "I date one of them, you don't want that for you." The blue-haired girl giggled with those words, coming out of her blushing shell.

"Why does everything has to turn into an act of a play?" She whined, lying her head on the table.

"Hey, Gray!" A voice calling me caught both of our attentions, making me and Levy turn around to see who it was. Kei, from the swimming team, was standing there, visibly drunk. "What are you doing sitting here? Come dance!"

"See? Why can't you go for guys like him? He is so sweet, look at that smile…"

"Wait, are you trying to set me up with your friend? Dude, I'm gay…"

"You are?!" I said, in surprise, but it was probably the alcohol speaking. "Could it be that everyone in the swimming team is gay?"

"I don't think Jiro is able of showcasing interest in anyone. I don't think he is able to showcase any emotion, for that matter…" The drunk dark blond answered.

"Nah, I caught him staring at my butt once…"

"Okay, what is your deal?!" Our conversation was interrupted with a shout coming from our side. The three of us turned our heads, to see Gajeel standing up, slamming his hands at the table, facing Natsu, also standing up, with rage.

"I'm just tired of this little act your pulling, we all know who you are, so quit acting!"

The two of them grabbed one another by their collars at the same time, raising their fists at each other's direction, with gritted teeth, as everyone else sighed in commotion with the fight that was about to go down, until they were, once again, interrupted by unknown voices.

"Look what we have here…" Everyone turned around again, with the sudden voice that interrupted Gajeel and Natsu's moment. Standing there were two men who also were competing in the judo competition. One of them had short, blond hair, and blue eyes. He had an ironic smile on, seeing the two rivals about to punch each other. In his right ear, he had a ring, and was wearing a shirt that left his belly button out. "Don't you think you should leave your fighting on the mat? This way you'll wear one another out. Well, but then I guess it doesn't really matter, because you're bound to lose to us anyway, right Rogue?"

The blond turned around to the man by his side, who was watching everything with a blank face on, almost like he was bored with the whole thing. He had black, medium length hair, hitting the end of his neck, with half a bang covering his left eye, and a scar crossing his nose. In his body, he was wearing a gray sweater, jeans and dress shoes.

"That is why I don't like interacting with other judo fighters. They all act like animals…" The black-haired man said, in a monotone voice.

"What do you jerks want?!" Natsu yelled at the pair, he and Gajeel had turned around to them.

"Do you want me to kick your asses too?" The brunette added.

"Why don't you take it down a notch?" The blond man asked, with a smirk. "It's starting to draw attention to yourselves, and it's not cute."

"I'll show you what is not cute!" My boyfriend yelled at the arrogant duo.

"I only solve my problems on the mat, we don't pick up fights at hotel lobbies like wild beasts."

"Then you better pray that you don't get pared up with me, 'cause I'll break your bones!" The tall man next to the pink-haired guy shouted at the two new figures.

"Your ego has to be really big to think you can win against Sting." Rogue finally spoke up.

"Well, we'll see about that!" Natsu barged in.

"Indeed, we will. Come on, let's go." And holding hands, the two turned around, going out as suddenly as they appeared, while everyone's eyes popped by the realization that those guys were actually a couple.

"Do you want to come dance?" I grabbed Natsu from behind, hugging him, while he was still bummed out with everything that went on.

"Please." He turned to me, smiling.

Holding hands, we went onto the dancing room. I pulled him by the hand to the middle of the dancefloor. We started dancing with our bodies glued to one another, Natsu was smiling at me. The sort of smile that made my heart feel genuinely at piece with the world.

I loved the way he danced, it was so goofy, but there was no way I could feel ashamed about it. There was nothing quite like watching pink head do the robot dance, or something resembling a breakdance. Soon, a circle formed around my boyfriend, cheering him as he moved. No one was as good at putting a smile on people's faces like him.

When the music ended, Natsu took a bow and straightened his clothes. He looked straight into my eyes, coming to me, while I smiled at him. Putting his arms around my neck, as I landed my hands on his waist, pressing his lips on mine. We stayed like that for a while, that seemed to last forever, until our lungs went out of air, and we pulled apart.

"I'm sort of thirsty, I'll think I'll go to the bar. Do you want something?"

"No, thank you." I replied with a smile, as he left me to grab something do drink.

Unfortunately, right when he walked away, the DJ announced it was time for a slow dance. Seeing all the couples grabbing one another while I stood there in the middle of them, by myself, was a little uncomfortable, but I knew my suitor would come back anytime soon.

That's was when I felt someone grabbing me by my waist. A smile appeared on my face, until I turned to the side and saw who was actually holding me.

"Daiki?!" I said, surprised, trying to push him away.

"Hey, babe." His alcohol breath went straight into my nose, while he held me tighter so I couldn't get out.

"Stop!" I yelled, unleashing myself from his arms. "What is wrong with you? I _have a boyfriend_!" This time I said those words really slowly so that he could finally understand.

"You mean that idiot with the hair? C'mon you can do better than that…"

"You're drunk…" I turned around, suddenly feeling his hand grabbing my fists tightly, making me face back at him. "Don't make me hit you…" I threatened him with the scariest tone of voice I could find within me.

"Please, you're not going to hit me…" The tall senior got closer to me again, pressing his body against mine. "You want me."

Before I could raise my fist and bury it on that jerk's face, Natsu appeared out of nowhere, and, pushed him away with his arm at the speed of light. Daiki staggered to the side, whilst I watched him move, not sure of what had happened. It was only when I heard Natsu's voice shouting at the blond man that I realized he was even there.

"What is your problem?!"

"So, your little boyfriend decided to come to your rescue after all…"

"What?!" The pink-haired boy yelled at my former teammate.

"Natsu, it's okay…" I tried to calm him down, by pulling my hand on his shoulder.

"No, it is not okay, not until I kick this jerk's ass!"

Sooner than I could do anything about it, Natsu ran towards the tall man in front of him, implanting his fist into the guy's cheek, punching him, while everyone around us turned to them, in commotion to what was going on. Just as Daiki fell on the floor, two security guards approached the scene.

"All right, let's go." Each one grabbed one of the two boys by the back of their collars, escorting them around.

"No, wait…" I tried to reason with those men, but they alt-right ignored me, whilst I followed them to the outside of the room, into the lobby. "Natsu!" I ran towards my boyfriend, as everyone around watched us.

Daiki passed by us, massaging his injured cheek, giving us both a despise look, walking away. As I watched my former colleague disappear, I realized the eyes of the people with whom we were sitting with at the table moments before aiming at us, looking for explanation, while I replied to them with an expression that said that was not the time.

"He better walk away…" Pink head said in spite, as I turned back to him again, still shaking from what had just happened, giving the boy a disappointed look. "What?"

"Nothing… Let's just go."

Not giving him a chance to reply, I walked towards the elevator, and we followed in silence until we got to our room. As soon as Natsu closed the door, his mouth opened;

"So, are you going to keep the passive-aggressive treatment forever?"

"I don't know what you are talking about." I answered, while undressing myself, to put my pajamas on.

"Oh really? So, you haven't been treating me passive-aggressively since we left out of there?" I took a deep breath, finding the strengths within me not to make that into a fight.

"What do you want me to do Natsu?" My body turned to him, already with my clothes changed.

"Well, you could say 'thank you', for defending you."

"Yes, but here is the thing; I didn't need you to do that. And when I said it was okay, that didn't translate to 'punch that guy'.

"Well, sorry for trying to get your back, then." Now he was the one with the passive-aggressive treatment.

"No, it's…" I sighed, realizing that was going off the trails quickly. "Come here…" Walking towards my boyfriend, I pushed the pink-haired guy by the hand, pressing our bodies. "I know we all have been under a lot of stress since we came here, and I don't want our first day on this trip to end with a fight…" As I talked, he rested those pink locks on my shoulder, replying to my display of affection. "So, can we just leave these behind? Huh?"

"Yes…" A smile appeared on Natsu's lips, as he lifted his head to answer me.

"Okay, then." I sat on our bed, while Natsu changed his clothes to put on his PJs, me watching he do it. "Can I ask you for one more thing?" I said, as he approached the bed, already changed. "Can we spoon tonight?"

"Sure." Pink head lied in the bed, turning his back towards me, shrinking himself so I could fit, embracing him from the back.

"Uh, babe." He turned back to me. "This time I was actually thinking you could spoon me…"

"Oh… Sure."

And so, I lied down, with my back pointing towards my boyfriend, while he involved me, cuddling with me. The lights went out, and we stayed like that, his warm breath hitting on the back of my neck and our feet touching. That was a really great first night sharing the same room we had, after all.

…

"You can do this Natsu. One more victory and you'll be classified to the semi-finals…" I said to myself, eating the popcorn in my hands compulsively, while I watched the pink-haired boy prepare to his last fight of the day.

On the other side of the mat, was that boy, Sting, from the night before. He was acting too cocky for his own sake, acting like he owned that dojo. He should know not to underestimate my boyfriend.

They bowed to one another and walked to the middle of the mat. It was starting, I couldn't contain my nervousness and excitement.

Sting had a really violent approach. He grabbed my boyfriend by the arms and advanced onto him, trying to make him fall at any cost, it seemed kind of desperate, even, the way he pushed Natsu over, but the pink-haired guy didn't seem to be bothered by his opponent, and continued to be standing, no matter the blonde's efforts.

Suddenly, pink head pulled his adversary by one of the arms he was pushing my boyfriend around, finally deciding to defend himself. Losing his pose, Sting tried to release his arm from Natsu's hand, in vain, it was kind of sad, really, seeing him all desperate like that, until the cherry-treed haired boy pulled his competitor with all he's got, making the Osaka University's student fall on his knees.

Standing up like he was no big deal, Sting went to his end of the mat, before advancing on Natsu again. And the fight went like this for a while; the blond advancing on the Todai's student, who didn't seem to react, he just went to whatever the spot his rival was pushing him, without falling, like he couldn't be threatened by the other man, until he took advantage of a misstep committed by his opponent and grabbed his arms, trying to take him down, while all the other guy could settle to do was trying to release himself.

Now, the tables had completely turned, Sting couldn't disguise his desperation by the fact his moves weren't having any effect on Natsu, and even worse, the pink-haired boy didn't seem to be taking his adversary seriously at all, what was visibly getting on the blonde's nerve, while my boyfriend was now the one who seemed to be too cocky for his own sake, which was, actually, worrying me, because he could fall from his tower at any minute, just like it happened with the man right in front of him.

Going back at each other's direction one more time, it was crystal clear Sting had had it with his fellow fighter, whilst I was sitting with the crowd, having to eat the popcorn from the bucket in my hands like there was no tomorrow, my eyes fixated on the two men in their kimonos down on the mat.

In a desperate move, the Osaka University's student grabbed the guy in front of him by the arms with all he'd got, and when Natsu showcased a slight intention of defending himself, his adversary pushed him by the head into the floor, making me stand up from my sit in nervousness, but pink head fell with only his hands on the floor, his back arched as his feet were still touching the ground.

It was obvious that the blond was completely done when, not waiting even a split second after his opponent stood up again, he ran towards him with everything he'd got, grabbing him by his arms, pushing him back, desperately. _C'mon Natsu, do something_ ; I thought to myself, seeing my boyfriend be pushed around by his enemy, without actually defending himself, until they got out of their limits, and the judge whistled.

I smirked seeing the blond get a penalty, whishing that this was enough to get Natsu to actually respond his opponent's attacks.

And so, they went back to their ends of the mat, and then back to the middle of it, where Sting once again grabbed my boyfriend by the arms, but this time he seemed to finally decide to respond his attacks in the same way, grabbing the blonde's arm and refusing to let them go, while his rival tried to unleash himself.

Taking advantage of his opened legs while his adversary desperately tried to get his arms free, Natsu put his foot behind one of his ankles, turning around so Sting could fall in his back, and then, he dropped the other man on the floor, in his back. It all happened so fast, but it was won, and all Sting could settle to do was lie on the floor, feeling his defeat.

I jumped out of my chair, screaming from the top of my lungs to pink head's victory, while the blond man he had just defeated had to swallow his pride and shake his hands.

After that, a huge smile appeared on Natsu's face, as he ran around the mat with his arms lifted, while the crowd cheered. I loved to see his smile, but it was more than that, I was seeing him genuinely happy ever since that trip started, and it warmed my heart.

Then, he went to the locker room, whilst a voice announced that the four fighters who had classified to the semi-finals, that were going to take place on the next day, that is, the last day of the event, were Natsu, Gajeel, that Rogue Cheney guy, and some exchange student from Keio University called Julio Rodriguez.

I squeezed through the crowd trying to get out of the grandstand, to see my boyfriend. When approaching the locker room, I started to hear a discussion.

"Why are you yelling at me, I won, didn't I?!"

"You let that guy push you around for two thirds of that fight, do you call that a dignified victory?" A heavy voice shouted back at Natsu.

"I don't care if you consider it worthy or not, it is still a win!"

"You know what Dragneel, you've been giving me attitude ever since you came into my school, and I have put up with it since now, but you're really close of hitting my last nerve." The man said, in a threatening voice.

"Well, out of all of your students, I am the only one that classified to the semi-finals, so I'll suggest it you either put up with me or accept your failure!" I rolled my eyes when pink head said that. He simply had to have the last word every time.

"What did you say?"

"You heard what I said." My boyfriend shot back at his coach, in a defying tone.

"You know what, you do whatever you want to do, I don't care. Just know that I'll report you after all of this is done."

"Fine by me!" Like I said, _always_ had to have the last words.

"Your boyfriend is here…" His coach, a man in his early forties who had light brown hair and a small beard, said, walking by me in the hallway.

"Gray?" He said, from inside the locker room, after the sensei had already walked away. "You can come in now…"

A smile appeared in my lips with those words, and I went into the locker room. Natsu was still in his fighting clothes, sitting in the bench in the middle of the room. I cautiously walked to him, trying not to trigger more fighting from out of him, seeing my boyfriend was still on a hot head.

"Hey…" I sat next to him, putting my hand on his shoulder, while the pink-haired boy was facing the floor.

"I take it you heard that, huh?"

"Yeah… Can I ask you a question?" Natsu grumbled with those words. I knew I was walking on eggs with him on that state, but I just went ahead and asked anyway. "Why are you constantly fighting with your coach?"

"Are you serious right now?!" Pink head stood up in a jump, facing me. His body was visibly shaking in anger. "Didn't you hear what that jerk said to me? Detracting my victory like that?" That would be the most terrible time in the world to confess that I actually saw where his sensei was coming from, so I simply took a deep breath, refusing to make that into a fight.

"I know… I'm just asking because…" Natsu face turned to the floor, standing up in front of me, as I tried to phrase what was coming out of my mouth. "Well, ever since I know you, you had always acted like you hated your training, and your sensei, and your colleagues, and I never understood why someone who got a judo scholarship would act like he hated doing it so much. And sometimes you act like you love it, like when you win your matches and all, but during the matches, especially this one…" Natsu loudly growled when I said those things, and I immediately tried to make it better. "No, it's okay. I guess, all I'm asking is... Is there something going on that I don't know about?"

"Gray…"

"I mean, something that is making you uncomfortable or…" My voice was interrupted by a huge slam, caused by Natsu punching one of the lockers. Afraid, seeing my boyfriend visibly in rage, I stopped talking. But the worst thing was; I had no idea what could possibly make him _that_ mad.

We stayed there, in silence for a while. All that could be heard was pink head's deep breathing, his fist still touching the locker, and his face looking down, while he tried to calm himself down.

"Gray…" Natsu finally spoke up, in a deep voice, still facing the floor. "I can't do this now. Please. I'll meet back in our room, we'll go out tonight, but I just need a moment. Please."

Without saying anything, I stood up and walked to the door, only the sound of my shoes could be heard, as I left silent locker room, still shaking and wondering what could have possibly triggered such a reaction in the man I loved.

…

"Hey, Natsu!" He heard a loud voice coming from behind us, right after we picked our cotton candies. Turning around we saw Gajeel and Levy standing in front of us. "So, apparently, we are fighting tomorrow, huh?" The tall man said, in an unusual friendly tone of voice.

"Yeah, so?" My boyfriend shot at him, making me press his hand, so him would be nice. "Ouch. I mean, yes, we are."

"You had a good run today." The brunette spoke again in a unnatural tone, which made me look at the small blue-haired woman next to him, who was giving him a look like she was supervising his behavior. Soon I understood where all of that was coming from.

"Thanks, I guess…"

"So… Bye. Ouch!" Gajeel looked down to the woman holding hands to him, who had just pulled the same trick I did, pressing his hand, giving her a look that asked if he really had to say those next words, but her face continued inexpressive. "Fine. And, uh, Natsu. No hard feelings, right?"

"Uh…" Now, I pressed his hand again. "Ouch! Yes, no hard feelings…" With those words, the odd couple in front of us turned around and disappeared into the crowd.

We were standing in the middle of Yokohama's amusement park, while the night sky hovered above us, and the lights of the streets enlightened where we were, while a lot of people walked by me and my boyfriend, holding hands and eating cotton candy.

After everything that took place on the locker room earlier that day, Natsu finally showed up at our room, an hour or more later, and things were tense between us, but I had decided I wouldn't ask anything and let him keep his space.

Even so, pink head was the one that suggested we should keep our plans for the evening, and go to that amusement park, like we said we would, and I went along with his idea, thinking everything would get better once we got to the park.

But there we were, holding hands in the middle of the streets of the park, and things were still awkward. While people walked by us, children ran, conversations and laughter took place all around, me and Natsu couldn't seem to be affected by the joy that usually is contagious in places like this.

We never went through that weird phase where neither part of a couple knows what to say to each other, or how to start a conversation, not since before we even got together and didn't know how to manage our sexual tension when we shared a room. And I never thought I was going to go through not knowing how to talk to my boyfriend, because that usually happens with couples about to get divorced or old couples that stopped loving each other over the years and never got the guts to split up, but that wasn't the case with us. I very much loved my boyfriend.

But also, that was the first time I saw Natsu like that, so vulnerable, exposed, and he didn't seem to want to talk about, and I had to respect that. The only problem was, whenever I looked at him I remembered him in locker room, in the middle of a rage tantrum, and about to broke into tears, and I didn't know how to get past that.

"So… Apparently those two were not just a one night thing, after all." I tried to slip some conversation between us, as we walked by the park.

"Yeah, I'm only sorry for her…" He said, looking to the side.

"Oh, c'mon. He was being friendly…"

"Sure, whatever…" Apparently, our conversation wasn't going very far from that.

"Oh, look! The Ferris wheel!" I said, in relieve, seeing the giant circular structure in front of me, so I could use it as a way to implant some time before we fell into the giant pit of silence that we found ourselves during that moment. "It is one of the tallest Ferris wheels in the world, we have to go!" I looked, excitedly, towards my boyfriend, who just went along with my joy about that wheel, disappointing me, who thought he would buy my forced happiness and cheer up.

That reminded me of my first birthday we spent together. We went to a fair, the one we couldn't go to the day my mom had a heart attack. Except that day we were happy, and talkative towards one another, and laughing and actually having a good time. In comparison, that night on the Yokohama's amusement park was a huge flop.

"Wait. Babe." Natsu called my attention while we were waiting on the line to go on the Ferris wheel, as I was looking down, in defeat.

"Yeah?"

"Aren't those guys from your swimming team?"

"Oh my god." My eyes popped, seeing Jiro and Daiki a few meters away, kissing one another. "Oh my god. Yes. Yes, they are. That's Jiro and Daiki. Oh my god." I said for the third time, as Natsu laughed with the whole thing. "Okay, act normally, they are coming over..." I looked down, pretending I didn't notice they were there, trying to hide my head, as they were now walking behind me, holding hands.

"Okay, they are gone." Pink head let me know, making me lift my head again, still in shock. "They are kind of dumb though. It's obvious that there will be people from college here, visiting…"

"I can't believe I never noticed it." I said more to myself then to the pink-haired boy standing next to me, staring blankly into the front. "I mean it's so obvious…"

"What is?" Natsu asked, making me turn over to him.

"The way they hated each other's guts, I mean… It is always something like that hiding under all that hate…"

I stopped talking, gradually realizing I was describing my and Natsu's early romance, until he pushed me by the waist into a kiss. Initially, I was surprised, but soon let my body loose and closed my eyes, feeling pink head's tongue inside my mouth.

"I love you." He said to me, after we took our lips apart, his forehead touching mine.

"I love you, too." A smile formed in my face, responding to his. Calmness filled my insides, as he continued to hug me by the waist. The tenseness had disappeared, finally.

Without even noticing it, we got to the beginning of the line, and entered on one of the cabins. Sitting down, we looked at each other's face once again, smiling, our hands touching.

As soon as the wheel started rolling, neon lights were turned on, on the both sides of it. None of us said much, we just looked at the view from our sides of the cabin, but our hands were touching, and it was different this time. It wasn't awkward anymore. It was peaceful.

"Gray…" The pink-haired boy said when the Ferris wheel stopped with our cabin in the highest point. I turned over to him, seeing him still facing the window, seeing the down from above.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry I yelled at you, at the locker room."

"It's okay…" I grabbed his hand tighter.

"No, it isn't. You were right. That is something going on, that's keeping me from enjoying judo as much as I used to…" With those words, I slid to his side of the cabin, realizing there were silent tears falling down his face, as he looked the city from out the glass, as the wheel started moving again. I put my arm around him, resting my head on his shoulder, while he was still fixating on the window. "My whole life I lived in a small town. There, it had a dojo where I learned judo ever since I was a little boy. My sensei was the same ever since, he was like a second father to me. He accompanied me to every tournament I participated, we travelled the country because of it. He was the one that believed in me the most, and it was because of him I got my scholarship. But then…" Natsu's tears fell more violently, and he choked on his own words, as I pressed my arm against him more tightly, getting even closer.

"It's okay…" I waited for him to recover himself, so he could finish his story. That was the first time in our relationship I saw pink head's broke down like that, since he was normally had such a violent approach over everything, like he was always in control, like he couldn't crack. It was nice to see him trusting me in that way, even though all I wanted to do was to pick him up in my arms and move him around until he was calmed down.

"I came back to my hometown from a trip, before college started…" He came back to his story, in a weak voice, taking deep breaths before every couple of words. "And he had died. He was driving in a rainy day and…" Natsu's voice cracked again, and his tears came back, but he continued his story even so. "And there was a landslide… I got back two weeks after. No one bothered to call me to let me know, because they didn't want to "ruin my trip". Fuck that stupid trip!" In a rage move, he punched the window, as I tried to press my body against him even more, to show him I was there, with him. "And after that, I had to run to Tokyo, because the classes were starting, and, as a result, I didn't have any time to grief… And I had chosen to major in physical education, because I thought I loved judo more than anything, and didn't want to do anything else with my life…"

"But, as it turns out, you loved your judo trainer, and not judo…" I finished my boyfriend's sentence for him, as he, once more, had burst into tears.

"And now, I don't know what I'm doing anymore…" He said, after the time it took to recompose himself. "It's not the same to fight. It only makes me sad, and angry at myself, because I feel like I'm letting him down. And I just can't listen to that jerk they have as a sensei in Todai, because I can't take him seriously…"

"Because he is not your old sensei…"

"Actually, I would say it's because he is a lazy amateur." We both laughed when those words came out of his mouth, and he finally turned over to me, undoing our hug, and grabbed my two hands, looking directly towards my eyes. "It's just that… I realized whenever I fought, I was doing more because it was something to bond over with Guildarts-sensei, that was his name, then because I loved doing it. And now that I found out I didn't love doing it, and that he is dead, I don't know who I am anymore…"

Before Natsu could dismantle into tears, this time I grabbed him for a hug, while his head fell into my shoulder, and the tears started falling again.

"It's okay…" I said, almost whispering, trying to get him to calm down. "You don't have to continue practicing judo just out of obligation." I then grabbed him by the arms, pressing them, making him look directly at my eyes. "We will find something else for you. A different major, a different passion…"

He smiled at me, as his tears gradually stopped falling, and I smiled back. Then, I pushed pink head into a kiss, a gentle, kind kiss, that said everything was going to turn out fine. As our tongues danced with one another, the Ferris wheel moved, and the city lights sparkled from behind us, reflecting on the window's glass.

…

There I was again, sitting on the grandstands, waiting for my boyfriend to show up for what could be his last fight. The silver lining was that, he winning this one, Natsu would go straight to the finals.

Another thing that made me get even more nervous for the fight that was about to happen down on that mat, the same one we had on top of, two days ago, was that, on the other side of it from my boyfriend, was Gajeel Redfox, the tall man with long black hair and a punk style, that had become pink head's rival since day one.

That day I didn't have a popcorn bucket on hand, so I had to settle for biting my nails compulsively seeing how everything unfolded itself.

They bowed to one another, and walked into the middle of the mat. At a certain point of the first seconds of the fight, Gajeel held on tight on Natsu's arms, trying to pull him down. They starting walking in circles like that, my boyfriend trying not to give in into his opponent wishes, until he tripped and fell on his stomach. I stood up, gasping, but he soon got up again and it restarted.

Again, the brunette held on to the pink-haired man's arms, trying to get him down, while his opponent walked around, trying to set himself free. At a certain point, the tall guy fell, sitting down, but still not letting Natsu's arms go. My boyfriend tried to get his adversary to unleash him, but couldn't manage it. Soon enough, hi also fell because of the other boy's weight, who took advantage of that to lock one of his rival's leg, closing his own legs around it. Natsu was, then, lied down on top of Gajeel, trying to get out of that position, while the long-haired man closed his legs tightly, not giving his adversary the chance to get away.

Finally, the judge interrupted them, as they rolled around on the ground, it was becoming pathetic, really, and they each went to their sides of the mat, for another confront. The same thing repeated itself, with the man with dark hair grabbing my boyfriend's hands tightly, refusing to set him free, while Natsu randomly walked around trying to unleash himself. Then, he quickly fell on the ground, on purpose, pushing the punk with him, making him trip on pink's head body, and fall on his back. That was it. It was won.

My eyes immediately went to Gajeel, as the pink-haired boy ran around the dojo, celebrating his victory, to see if Levy's date was too sour of a looser, but strangely enough, he appeared to be coping well with his defeat, by the expression of his face, I mean. The boys shook hands, and Natsu walked out of the dojo, probably to the locker room, to get ready for the finals.

I decided not to go to him, leaving him some time to focus, and kept seating, watching Gajeel battle that exchanged student for the third place. That Julio kid had already lost to Sting's boyfriend, Rogue, who was going to fight against my boyfriend for the gold medal.

Nearly not as excited for that fight as I was for Natsu's, I watched the brunette who was going out with Levy win over the Spanish man, getting his hands on the bronze medal.

A few minutes after the ending of that dispute, it was finally time for the final confrontation. Rogue was already standing on his side of the mat, with the same unfriendly expression on his face from the night I met him, but Natsu was nowhere to be found.

I was starting to bite my nails out of nervousness, while the voice in the microphone called his name again, and again, and again. Just when I stood up, deciding to go look for my boyfriend, that same voice announced he appeared, and a few seconds later he showed up in front of my eyes, walking to his side of the mat. Sitting down again, I took a look at his face and realized something wasn't right. Pink head seemed mad, pissed off. Which could only mean the black-haired boy who was standing across the room from him was screwed for fighting with that man when he was angry. Nothing would hold him back now. But I was still worried with what got him to that state.

They bowed to one another, and walked into the mat. I could only assume Rogue was planning to get revenge on my boyfriend for eliminating _his_ boyfriend. Violently, he grabbed pink head's kimono, trying to pull him down. His adversary, however, only stood still, trying not to get pulled down by his enemy, but wasn't making any active moves to fight.

A few seconds after, the Osaka University's student put his foot behind one of Natsu's ankles, making him fall on his side, but his feet were still touching the floor. The boy, then, jumped down on top of the pink-haired man, who squirmed against the floor a bit, before completely stopping to move.

My heart stopped, as the countdown started, seeing Natsu completely immobile, while everyone cheered and screamed. He had plainly given up. Moved by the heat of the movement, I joined the people yelling at him to do something, but it was too late. The countdown reached twenty-five seconds, and his opponent was deemed the champion of the tournament.

I watched, shaking, as pink head shook his adversary's hand, and after, while Rogue walked around, "celebrating" his victory, his face as if he was attending a funeral. His walk around the dojo wasn't as charming as my boyfriend's.

It still hadn't hit me that Natsu lost in such a sad, and even humiliating way, as I walked towards the locker room. I understood he wasn't passionate about judo anymore, but to outright lose in that pitiful form, was hard, even for me. I just had to know what made him do it.

"Natsu…?" I put my head inside the room, to see if he was there.

"Are you here to yell at me, too?" My boyfriend said, sitting down at the bench.

"What? No."

"It's okay, I figured you'd be disappointed at me for doing that…" He replied, as I sat down next to him.

"I just… Don't understand. Even with all your feelings you still put up a fight till now. What made you do it?" I tried to say as calmly as possible, to not make him feel that he let me down.

"I just had it with that sorry excuse for a sensei. He walks in here like he owns me, saying that he didn't expect me going as far as I did, that I wasn't who he'd like to see winning out of the guys he trains, but that he would have to _settle_ for me. And even worse, that it just goes to show how great of a coach _he_ is, for getting me into the finals, even with all my attitude. Let me tell you something, you jerk, if I got where I did, it had nothing to do with you!" Natsu raised his voice saying the last sentence, making me hug you, trying to calm him down.

"It's okay… And I'm not disappointed at you. I'm proud of you."

"You are?" He gave me a silly smile, turning over to me, as my eyes met his.

"How can I not be?" I smiled back, and glued my lips with his. We kept kissing for a while, channeling everything we were feeling on that moment to our lips, as our tongues danced with one another. I really loved him.

…

"What is going on?" I asked, walking into the room from where all the shouts were coming from.

"It's the fencing finals." Levy, who was close to the door explained, turning around to me, who was holding hands with Natsu.

"I didn't know fencing attracted so many people…" I said, seeing that the room was really crowded. There were no more places on the grandstands, and a lot of people were standing up, watching and cheering to the two people sword-fighting in front of them.

"It's just that Erza is on it, and we might have a chance on winning this."

"Oh…"

"Go Erza!" Pink head yelled, standing beside me.

"Do you even know which one is Erza?" I thought that question was worth asking, seeing as the two women were both using a mask, and their bodies were really similar.

"No idea…"

"Me neither… Go, Erza!"

Everyone watched. An excited silence took over the room as we saw that fight develop. With every move, I got more and more nervous, as excitement was building up inside of me. Finally, the girl on the left touched the other one's torso with her sword, and was deemed the winner.

Suddenly, an explosion of screams went off from the side I was standing in, making me get lost at what was actually going on.

"Did we win?"

"We won!" Levy screamed back at me, jumping in celebration, while me and Natsu joined her.

The two women finally took their helmets off, Erza's blood-red hair falling from its bun. She shook hands with the girl in front of her, who had also unleashed her hair, that fell like a purple waterfall from the top of her head. She was called Kagura, the voice on the microphone announced, and that was not the last I saw of her.

…

"Everyone with medals, come join the picture!" Erza screamed, as we were all walking towards the bus, seeing it was time to go home.

"Go." Natsu looked at my direction, with his silver medal around his neck.

I left him and entered the vehicle, watching from the window as everyone gathered around for the picture, Erza in the middle, acting like the ruler of everything, which, in fact, she was.

My eyes, then, met Gajeel and Levy, holding hands, saying their goodbyes. I smiled at the sight of that odd couple, of whom I grew found of.

"Lucy, wait. What is the problem with me talking to him?!" Cana's voice could be heard, entering the bus. Before her, however, walked in Lucy, who was stupefied to see me sitting on the first bench on the left. She stopped for a few seconds, watching me with a disgusted face. "Lucy…" Her black-haired friend finally caught up with her. Her face also cracked realizing I was there.

"Here." The blond turned over to the other woman. "Stay with your friend!" My eyes went down, in shame, realizing I was the one they were arguing over.

"Lucy, it's not like that… Bye, Gray." She whispered with a friendly smile, before walking over to her friend on the back of the bus.

"Hey." Natsu finally walked in, along with other people who came behind me.

"Have you noticed that this was the first time we shared a room together?" I asked him, resting my head on his shoulder.

"What about that time we slept in your room back in your house?"

"That didn't count!"

"Sure it did!"

And so it started. That was going to be a fun trip.

…

"Hey." A voice comes from behind me. It's my brother's. "Thanks for staying her these couple of days." He put his hand on my shoulder.

"It's okay. She is my mother too, you know. I'd stay as long as she needed to recover." I reply, my eyes still fixating on the glass window in front of me, watching the judo class happening on the other side.

I'm standing on my mother's sports school, peaking at the little boys and girls repeating the moves their teacher is doing. My heart warms, I'm standing there for a few minutes, unable to look away, as memories from my ex-fiancé keep popping into my mind.

"Are you okay?" Lyon finally asks, after a few seconds of silence.

"Yes." I take a while to respond, shrugging my body, trying to snap out of that. "Yes. I just need some time to clear my head, that's all…"

"Okay… When you're done, the dinner is already ready." He says, walking away.

I shrug my body once again, trying to pull out the strength to look away from that class. I finally do it and walk away. But not to my home. I take a turn still inside the school, and end up in front of the pool. It had been a while since I swam for the last time.

Pulling out a bittersweet smile, I take off my clothes. I'm all alone in there. Just me and my thoughts. And so, I step into the water, feeling its cold temperature surround my body, feeling a shock wave inside of me from it, but I'm too numb to care.

Doing something I haven't done for a long time, I emerged all of my body into the water, waiting on it to take my problems away.

After a while, I pull myself out of it, breathing deeply from the lack of air inside of my lungs. Then I lie down on that blue immensity, looking up, feeling every muscle in my body surrounded by it, waiting on it to clear my head, and show me the way. Just like it used to do all those years ago. And god knows how I need some sign of clarity. Now, more than ever.


	9. November 22nd, 2011 - The Ultimatum

Hey guys, thank you so much for all of your replying and support, it really means a lot, you have no idea.

And I am so sorry I haven't been replying to your reviews, I've just been really busy and overwhelmed, and on top of that, I've been trying to keep up the writing schedule so I wouldn't get too behind of what I initially intended.

Anyway, don't think your replies haven't been appreciated, they are the fuel that make me go on. Love you guys.

And a big shout out to me on my birthday today. 19, y'all.

…

"For how long have you been with Lucy?" I asked, making the boy around my arms shiver.

"Just a few months…" His voice was clearly in distaste for having to talk about his girlfriend. "We met during vacation. I went to Spain for the summer, and she was a Japanese girl staying at the same hotel as me. We kind of bonded." As he answered I looked deep into his green eyes, while tension filled the space between us. "But why do you want to know about that anyway?" Natsu asked, trying to give an end to that awkward situation.

"I don't know…" I looked to the other direction, still holding him. "Do you still have feelings for her…?"

"Oh, c'mon Gray, not this again!" The pink-haired boy abruptly let me go, ending our hug.

So, a bit of a recap. Things got initially really weird after me and Natsu had sex for the first time on the shower of the gymnasium's bathroom. Soon after, he started crying, which was really weird. I tried to calm him down, but the guy simply wouldn't let me touch him. Shaking from head to toe, he got dressed in a jump and ran away.

It was not an easy moment for me, too. I had no idea what had happened, and how I could let myself be carried away by animal-like instincts like that. All I could settle to do was sit down on the floor, pressing my back against the wall, and take deep breaths, trying to assimilate what I had done minutes before.

After that, it was clear Natsu didn't want anything to do with me, or at least he didn't want to admit he did, and I should accept that. Even though we had amazing sexual chemistry and I caught myself playing with my penis a few times after that incident, thinking about it. Thinking about him. His pink locks, his warm smile, his hot skin pressed against mine, his privates, his heavy breathing and stretched out muscles while we were together…

I had to spent the whole week after that craving him, while he pretended not to know me whenever we bumped into each other in the hallways, making me shake with that cold treatment.

Till one day, four or five days later, he knocked on my dorm's door. Claiming he only wanted to talk, even though his visit was strictly by the only time in the week I had that room all for myself, since it was the only time Loki had classes and I didn't. After a few words that came from out of his lips, with him simply standing a few steps away by the door, and not looking straight into my face, not that I would blame him, just seeing him there was enough to make my member hardener, Natsu simply jumped into me and we ended up doing it again on my bed.

After the few minutes it took to get our breathing together and our heads back in order, with my body still on top of his, the cherry-treed-haired guy burst out of the room, running again.

And that succeeded again, for another two times. The pink-haired boy came towards me, shaking, originally not intending anything, and I ended up fucking him, until he ran away in despair.

That had to stop. If Natsu didn't want anything to do with me, fine. But if that was the case, then he shouldn't be allowed to come running to me whenever he felt like it and then run away, leaving my head into a chaos.

The next day, I was the one that went to him. As soon as he opened the door to his dorm, seeing me in the hallway, his face cracked. The pink-haired man went out of his room, closing his door discreetly, so that whoever was in there couldn't see me.

"We have to talk." I said, coldly, to which he replied;

"Not here."

Then, he started to walk aimlessly, me following him, asking to where were we going. No answer. I followed him to out of the university ground, and walked the streets of Tokyo behind from him. After a while, we reached the Ueno Park, but still wasn't enough for him to answer my constant voice going off from behind his pink head.

Natsu chose a distant tree from where most visitors were, and we sat under it. Only then he gave me permission to finally speak my mind.

…

 _"Look Natsu… Wait, you're not planning to start making out with me in the middle of my speaking, are you?"_

 _"No… Wasn't planning on doing it…" The boy in front of me blushed, looking up, making his lie obvious._

 _"Anyway…" I chose to ignore his reaction to my first question, and continued to speak my mind. "I don't know what is your deal, but here is the thing, I am not someone who is just going to be there whenever you need a booty call or something, okay? You can't just have sex with me and leave. I have feelings too, you know… It's messing with my head…" My voice was getting weaker by the end of that speech. The pink-haired boy didn't say anything as I finished saying what I had to say, just sat there, and looked away. The silence hit us, and all the filled the gap between those two guys sitting under a three was the distant sound of conversation from the other people on the park, and the tweet of a bird walking near my foot. That silence was killing me, my head shaking at full speed, as I had just spat my feelings out to the boy next to me and he didn't bother to sketch a reaction. Finally, I had enough. "Aren't you going to say anything?" I asked, acidly._

 _"No… I mean," Natsu started talking, looking at the distant crowd. "what is there to say? You're right, I've been kind of unfair with you, lately." As that last sentence left his lips, his eyes got lost on the grass we were sitting on, and silence stroke us again, each of our eyes facing a different direction, until the pink-haired boy broke it, this time. "But like, do you want this to end?"_

 _I swallowed hard, not knowing what to reply. I got the courage to look at his direction, my eyes bumping into his green ones, who were already giving me a compelling look. I smiled internally with his attempt to get me to feel sorry for him. Then, Natsu's hand grabbed mine._

 _"No!" I pushed it away, looking at another direction, again. "No, Natsu! This won't happen." I bent my legs, grabbing them with my arms, shrinking myself, as silence took place again. "What about you?" I questioned him, roughly. "Do you want this? Because it sure doesn't feel like it, the way you acting like you're embarrassed of me or something…"_

 _Tears of anger starred to pop on my eyes, while I looked at the exact opposite direction from Natsu. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder, waking me up from my own thoughts, and his hot breathing hitting my neck, as he pressed his body close to mine, from behind._

 _"I'm sorry." The man from behind me simply said, as I let the tears fall out. "I'm sorry, Gray. You're right. The way I've been acting towards you had been completely wrong. It's just that… It's been hard to me too. I never saw myself liking a boy… Now, I have to cope with the knowledge that I'm gay… I guess I'm bi actually…"_

 _As I heard Natsu's voice tickling my ear, I dried my tears, before turning over to him and sealing his words into a kiss. As soon as I did that I realized how stupid that was. I was so weak that all it took was some sorry speech from that boy with pink hair for me to already jump into a kiss, even though I went to him straightly to end things. But, damn, that kiss was so good I couldn't get myself to pull away from it, even though I had fully realization how pathetic that whole situation was. All I could settle for was closing my lips and enjoy the sensation of Natsu's tongue with mine._

" _I want this." I grabbed the boy's hand, still breathing with difficulty from the kiss that had just terminated, and looked directly into his eyes, who were already facing me. "But not like that…"_

" _Me too." He grabbed my other hand. "And I want to give you exactly what you want, what you deserve. Damn, I know I do! But I don't know if I'm that person… Or if I can get there. It is easy for me here, away from everything, but the second we get back to college… I know I'll chicken out… And…_

" _It's okay." I interrupted him, seeing how hard it was for that cherry-headed idiot to unleash his feelings. "Can I ask you a question, though?" He nodded with his head. "Why me? I mean, what did you see in me, that aroused your interest towards boys like that?"_

" _Are you kidding me? You're gorgeous." We both giggled with that answer. "No, but seriously. Ever since I laid my eyes on you, when you turned over to me during the initiation, do you remember that?" I smiled, remembering looking to that entitled kid with the pink hair for the first time, filled with rage. "When this entitled kid turned over to me and I saw your onyx eyes, and your black bangs falling on your forehead…" He played with my hair a little bit saying that. "I felt my body shaking, and something inside my body, inside my chest, I didn't know what it was. But it annoyed me. It annoyed me whenever I saw you, because I knew, deep down, that you were intriguing to me, for all the wrong reasons. For all the_ _ **right**_ _reasons." He pressed my hands tightly, while correcting himself, making me smile._

" _But that was on me too. The way we acted towards one another when we first met. You're right, I may be a bit entitled and stubborn at times. But you are, too." He smiled at me. "You are the most entitled and stubborn guy I've ever met, actually…"_

" _Guess you don't have a mirror, then…" He teased me back, as we both smiled._

" _No, but seriously. Maybe is because we are so similar that we couldn't get along at first…"_

" _You, maybe. But not me. It was always the way you made me feel. The way I always wanted to have you. And those feelings began to become more and more evident, and I tried to repress them even more inside of me. And so, I acted even more like a jerk next you. Until that day, when I thought you were going to get arrested… That was when I let all of my crush towards you take full control of me…"_

" _And it was one of the hottest kisses of my life…" I interrupted him, smiling at his direction, making Natsu blush. After that, we kept on holding each other's hand, smiling, completely in silence. But it wasn't awkward anymore. "Can you commit to me?" It came out of my mouth, out of nowhere. And the peace we were feeling, sitting there, disappeared, giving place to the tenseness of before, as the pink-haired boy's face cracked, again, with that question._

" _I can… I can promise not to run away right after we have sex. And I promise to enjoy the moments with you. Like this." He pushed my hands towards his lap. "I won't come running to you_ _ **only**_ _to have sex. You're not just sex for me, Gray." Again, his green eyes met me, and I felt my heart warmth from under my chest._

" _But, will you end things up with your girlfriend?" I could feel him shivering with that question, looking away. That was all the answer I needed. "C'mon Natsu…" I snorted. "This has been cute and all, but I need more. I can't stay on a relationship where we have to sneak out to be together. I need someone that is not embarrassed to be with me. That owns a relationship. I'm not on high school anymore…"_

 _Indeed, I never thought I would have to endure this sort of drama when in college. My high school life had been just enough of it. But I didn't expect to bump into someone like Natsu either, so… I mean, of course I had a plan in my mind to where my romantic life would go once in Tokyo University. I would have a lot of one night stands and great sex with random guys, until, by junior year, I fell for a senior, that would make me give up on my whore-like life and be on a happy relationship, for once. And even though what I got was a closeted bisexual who were dating a girl and wanted to have an affair with me, it would later on prove to have been so worth it._

" _I don't know Gray." Natsu was anxiously looking down. I could feel that this wasn't a subject he rather be talking about, but I just couldn't drop my needs aside. "I don't know if I'm ready yet… Can't this be enough?"_

 _There was a lot I wanted to say. That I wasn't comfortable being a second choice. That it wasn't fair to his girlfriend. That if he really liked me as much as he claimed, he wouldn't mind assuming our relationship to the world. But every word about to come off my mouth got lost when he turned over to me, and I got lost in the green of his eyes._

 _I recognized that look. I was once like that, back in my hometown. My sexuality was such a big thing for me, that I would rather woke up every day with this weight on my shoulders, and this ache on my heart, to just come out of the closet and finally be liberated. I remember when realizing I was gay, I made a promise to never come out, and live my life hiding, because I thought I was going to hurt my mom, and my brother would beat the crap out of me._

 _Unfortunately, it wasn't easy the life for someone who felt attracted to a person of the same gender, and I felt that under my own skin. I swallowed hard realizing that I was actually feeling sympathetic for Natsu, someone who wanted to have a relationship with me on the side. I never thought I would agree with something like that, but I knew he needed guidance. Just like I did. And it would've been so much easier if I had someone to give it to me._

" _All right!" It came out of me like a lightning striking. Then my eyes met his once more. His smile was really something else. "Damn, you're lucky you're cute…" I cursed him, pulling the boy for a kiss._

...

And ever since that talk, we've been having an affair. For a while I swallowed my pride and went along with it. I figured that if Natsu really liked me it would only take a while for him to build that courage inside for leave his girlfriend and assume a relationship with me. But it was over a month now and I was starting to doubt his intentions.

We were sitting at that same tree at the park. It had become our main meeting spot.

"You know is not easy for me…" The pink-haired boy said, looking away.

"That wasn't my question," I insisted, grabbing his hand.

"Lucy is… Sweet." Natsu finally spoke, making me shiver. He was about to confess he actually loved his girlfriend and that was why he didn't want to e with me, officially.

"Okay, I get it." I let his hand go and stood up, ready to leave.

"As a friend!" He shouted at my direction, while I continued to stand, looking the other way. "I like Lucy as a friend. She is nice to me and all, but…" Suddenly I felt his hand on my shoulder, realizing he was standing behind me. "I never had with her what we have, Gray…" Smiling a little, I swallowed hard and turned around to face him.

"So why are you with her in the first place?"

"I don't know…" His eyes looked down, to the grass. "She is my first girlfriend. I didn't know how it was supposed to go. She asked me to date her, and I liked her, I thought she was nice, so I said yes." Then, Natsu turned around to me again, aiming his green eyes directly into mine, and the words that came next made my body tremble. "It wasn't till I met you that I realized how it was _actually_ supposed to feel."

I fought hard not to let a smile show. I hated how the boy with the pink hair had the ability to master my feelings. Whenever I was angry with him, it would only take a few words to make me fall for him again. And what was even worse, he didn't even realize that he had that capability, it wasn't planned, it was completely spontaneous.

"No, Natsu!" I raised my voice, fighting the feelings inside of me that popped after the green-eyed boy said those things to me, reminding myself why I was pissed off in the first place. "I only agreed to this because I thought it wasn't going to last. And I imagine how hard it must be for you to come out, but it's time I prioritize my feelings for once."

His eyes were looking deep into mine as I said those words. It was hard for me, seeing the sad expression in his face, but I was sad with that arrangement too.

"Please Gray. You said to me once you could relate to what I was going through. How long did it take for you to come out, huh? I only knew I had those feelings when I met you. It is really recent…" He came closer, his breath hitting my face as he spoke. "But whenever I'm with you, it makes me a little bit stronger. Please. You're the fuel that moves me, little by little, till I'm finally ready to take on a relationship with you. If you leave now…"

"Okay, I get it!" I stopped his sorry speech before it got to me too much. "One month." I said, simply, as his green eyes looked at me, confused. "I'll give you one more month. I know it is hard, but I can't take being the _other person_ for much longer. I like what you and I have, but for my sake I can't drag it any more…"

"One month." Natsu interrupted me, suddenly. "Okay. One month." He seemed prepared, or at least he was acting like he was. "I'll do it. For you. In a month, I'll break-up with Lucy, and be all yours…"

Natsu smiled at me, the kind of smile that made my heart melt, and our lips met, for a kiss. A passionate kiss.

…

"Hey, Gray!"

A voice that I hadn't heard for a really long time shout out my name, as I was about to enter my dorm building. Confused, I turned around trying to remind myself to whom that voice belonged to. Soon, my eyes spotted a man with medium length dark-blond hair and a small beard walking towards me. It was Caesar. The man I made out with in my first college party. And the guy I bumped into at that Kappa Thunder fraternity party. After that, I don't think I saw him again.

"Hi… Caesar…" I said, not knowing exactly what to reply to him.

"Long time no see, huh?" I smiled in agreement. "And you said you were going to look for me…" Those words made me blush. It had been a while since I thought about the guy standing in front of me.

"Yeah… Sorry, I was kind of busy."

"It's okay. I thought to go to you sooner, when I saw you in the campus and stuff, but you never seemed very approachable. Is everything okay?"

"Yes… It's just study stuff…"

"Dude, you're a freshman!" He laughed, making me blush again. "Take it easy, okay?" Caesar put his hand on my shoulder, our eyes meeting, which made me blush again. Even then, he still had some sort of power over me. I mean, he was actually really handsome… "Anyway… I saw you now and decided it was time for me to act." I trembled with those words. "So, I want to invite you to go out with me. Friday night." I smiled like a little girl when he said that. His eyes still aiming at mine, making my legs go weak.

"You mean… Like a date?" I asked, dumbly.

"Yeah, sure. Like a date…"

I stayed starring at him for a while, trying to process what was going on, completely distracted by Caesar's hotness, until it hit me. Shaking my head, I tried to recompose myself, suddenly remembering about my fling with Natsu.

"Wow, thanks Caesar… But, I'm actually already seeing someone right now, so…"

"Really? 'Cause whenever I see you, you're always alone…"

"Yeah, it's complicated…"

"Complicated, huh?" The man repeated, not buying what I had just said. "Well, let's do this. I'll give you my number. If you feel like it, give me a call…"

I knew it wasn't a good idea, but I was too distracted looking at the guy's handsomeness to move. I watched him write down his number on a piece of paper and give it to me. Acting kind of silly, I took the paper and held it tight on my fist, watching the man walk away, waving a goodbye, while all I could do at that state was give him a discreet wave back.

Watching the boy go, I shook my head, trying to get back on my senses. I look down at the piece of paper in my hands not sure of what to do. I mean, part of me wanted to just say yes to that proposal, but the other was still picturing Natsu's pink locks falling in his forehead, and his warm smile.

I didn't want to end things with him on that note, but at the same time, I didn't want to feel the way I felt whenever I was with him; bad for hiding something, like I was doing something wrong. And, in fact, I was. But it was so good to walk away. I never felt what I felt with him with anyone. To be fair, he was actually my first gay relationship, and even so it couldn't be called a relationship. But even so, he made my body feel warm inside, he made me smile without even noticing I was doing it. I never had that, even with the other boys I had crushes on. Even with Caesar…

Shaking myself out of that trance, I turned around and walked to my dorm. Entering, I pressed my back against the wall, breathing deeply, trying to work out all of the emotions going through my head now.

"Gray?" Loki's voice caught my attention, getting me out of that state. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes…" I dragged myself into my bed, dropping my body on it. "I don't know…"

"What is it dude?" My roommate paused his videogame, turning around to me. With my head on the pillow, I asked in a tired tone;

"Have you ever liked someone… That was taken?"

"Oh, is that what's going on? Relax dude, we've all been there. Story of my life in high school."

"But, did you like…" I took a deep breath, building up the courage to say that out loud. "Had an affair with that person, while they were still in a relationship?"

"Oh…" The orange-haired boy seemed a bit shaken as those words came out of my mouth. "No." He simply said while I moaned in distaste, seeing I was all alone with that situation. It made me feel even worst. "But, hey, don't take it on yourself. It takes a lot of courage to like, be somebody's lover or something. I never had the guts to pull it off…"

"Please stop talking…" I whined, turning over to the other side.

"But, hey." I could hear he sitting down on the bed. "I'm your buddy. You can tell me anything. So… Who is she?" My body trembled in realization that the closest thing I got to a best friend in college didn't know about my sexuality yet.

"Loki…" I turned around once more, also sitting. "Yeah, so, I'm gay, dude…" His eyes popped with those words and his mouth opened, as he processed something to say. It was the first time I had ever been blunt about my preference towards boys, but I had made a promise with myself that in college I wouldn't hide it like I did in high school, so it was all cool.

"Oh… It's cool. I mean, this won't change anything between us, I swear." I smiled, as he tried to act like he wasn't surprised at all. "I mean, I had no idea… But I'm glad you told me…"

"It's okay to be surprised…" I smiled, seeing him trying to work out a sentence to say to me that showcased how cool he was with the situation. "That doesn't mean you're a homophobic."

"Yeah… totally…" My roommate was still in shock. "Can I ask you a question? I'm not sure that this will make me a homophobic or not…"

"It's cool. No, I'm not interested in you." I answered his question, realizing what he was going to ask before he got a chance to. "I mean, your kind of hot…"

"What?!"

"It's a joke!" I replied, bursting into laughter.

It wasn't a total lie. Loki was actually a good-looking guy, and when I first met him it kind of popped my eye. An undeveloped crush towards him showed up during our first week together in college, since we spent a lot of time together, and I got to see another side of him that wasn't just lying on his bed, playing videogames and smoking weed. He was funny, and smart, and handsome, as I said, but it was never going to work out so I didn't get my hopes up too much.

"Another possibly offensive question…" The orange-haired boy said towards me, making a smile pop up on my face, seeing his bluntness with the whole situation. "Are you sure you're gay? I mean… You're not bisexual or something?"

"Nope. I'm as gay as they come." I replied, lying down again.

"Hum, cool. What is it like, to like guys? Is it easier then liking girls?"

"In my experience, it's not being easy at all…"

"I see…" He lied down too, and we stayed like that, in silence for a while. "Hey, Gray." Loki broke the ice after a few minutes, making me turn my head over to him. "It's cool if you want to talk about guys with me. It's only fair, since I talk to you about girls and stuff…"

"No, it's okay Loki." I smiled, seeing him trying to be supportive. He was actually a good friend. "I'm not much of a talking guy myself…"

"I see…" My roommate replied, and we went back into silence once more. "Hope everything works out for you, man."

"Thanks."

I smiled with those words. Loki was really my college best-friend.

…

I took my head out of the water, breathing deeply. As I rested my arms on the pools border, lying my head on it, I heard a voice coming from the other side.

"You're really good…"

Turning around in surprise, I saw Natsu standing on the other side, and a smile appeared into my face. The room was dark since it was night, but I could see him clearly.

"What are you doing here?"

"I saw that guy with whom you have lunch with, I asked where you were, he told me you were here, so here I am…"

"Loki? Wait…" My smile got bigger realizing what was happening. "You actually went to my roommate to ask about me, because you wanted to see me? In campus ground? Who are you and what have you done with Natsu?" A smile appeared into his face, as he blushed.

"I meant what I said the other day. I'll work hard to build the courage to break-up with Lucy and be with you by the end of next month. So, I'm changing things up a little bit." I actually appreciated what the pink-haired boy was doing. Whenever I wanted to see him, and went looking for him inside the university he would always be nervous that someone would spot us, until falling into my charm, obviously. "So, what are _you_ doing here?" He asked, as I got out of the pool.

"I come in here from time to time. I don't know if it's aloud, but I don't really care, either." Natsu smiled as I said those words, walking over to him. "I swim whenever I need to clear my head. My mom taught me that. And later, I've been really needing some guidance, so I come over late at night when I know it'll be empty and just…"

"I'm sorry I've been making such a mess with your head…"

"No. It's… It's not just you…" I said, while we both blushed, not knowing exactly what so say to comfort him. "Anyway, I'm soaking wet, let me just…"

"No." Natsu's voice echoed around the pool area, as I turned around, and he grabbed me by the wrist making me turn to him again. "I kind of like you…" He pulled me closer to him by my speedo, giving me a suggestive look with a dirty smile. "Wet, like that…"

I retributed the look, our bodies pressed against one another, making his clothes wet, me barely naked, with only my swimsuit to cover my parts. Natsu was rubbing my wet chest with his hand. The pink-haired boy looked down at my member, fully aroused with the look he was giving me, and looking back at me, sticking his tongue out of his mouth, he grabbed it, making a shockwave of pleasure go through my body. I couldn't disguise I was liking it, and his smile grew, grabbing it harder.

"Well…" I put my foot behind his leg, getting even closer. "If you like it so much…" I turned our bodies, still pressed against one another, into the pool's direction. The boy was right behind the body of water.

"Oh no, Gray…" He said, not disguising his smile, realizing what I was about to do.

"Why don't you…"

I pressed my body harder against his, making him lean back, shouting at me not to do it, until he fell into the water. The boy took his head out of it, all his clothes wet, his pink locks had all fallen into his forehead. He pushed them away of his eyes, looking at me with a smile.

Looking at him, licking my lips, I took my tight speedos out, letting my erect penis breath, and jumped into the pool butt naked, while Natsu swam away from me, and I followed him, trying to catch the guy.

Natsu swam till the other side. Having nowhere to run, the boy with the pink locks turned around seeing me going to him at full speed. The first thing I did catching the guy was press my lips against his, and my body, making his back pressed against the pool wall.

Still kissing him, my tongue in full control of his mouth, I closed my eyes and took away his belt, as the pink-haired man pulled down his pants and underwear, and his shirt right after. Now we were both completely naked, and our hard cocks touching each other, under the water.

Us both were breathing hard, as I kept my tongue's ministrations inside his throat. He bent his legs under the water, surrounding my body with them, pressing one of his foot against my back, making us even closer together. His butt was now pointing directly towards me, ready for me to take over inside of it.

I ended our hot kiss, biting his under lip and pushing it away with my mouth, while his hungry green eyes looked directly towards mine. I let his lip go, and continued looking at him for a few seconds, taking my breath back, whilst I licked my lips, looking the blushing boy in front of me, as his legs surrounded me and his hands were touching my back.

Ready to go, my mouth started to attack his neck, sucking and nibbling it, while he carved his nails on my back as I did that. Soon, I focused on his torso, his hot and wet chest. My tongue explored every part of his wet skin, biting his nipples and licking his, all while he tried to take control of my body even more, pressing his nails against my back harder, and crossing his legs around my body even more tightly.

My left hand grabbed Natsu's left cheek, roughly, making him even closer to me. I stopped playing with his belly and looked directly at his green iris, with a dirty smile on. Natsu blushed receiving that smile, not knowing what would come next.

In an impulse, I inserted one finger of my other hand inside his pulsing, tight, little asshole, making the pink-haired boy moan slightly with the sudden intruder in his aperture.

Playing with his anus, I came back to his neck, biting his earlobe, as he moved and squirmed his body with pleasure, making the water move around us, while he tried to move his ass closer to my hand, so my finger would enter deeply. I smile in delight seeing him wrap his legs around me ever more tightly, so I would stay even closer.

Deciding to play with the boy, I accelerated my ministrations on his pulsing little hole, making his moaning increase and he scratched my back more violently, trying to discount his frustration.

I smiled, seeing him, eyes closed, groaning of pleasure. Licking my lips, I inserted a second finger inside his warm aperture, making a guttural shriek come out of his mouth, that echoed through the whole dark room, only occupied by us.

All the muscles of my body were starting to hurt, whilst my partner had to settle for kicking the water bluntly, in madness. Part of me wanted to just insert my dick into his ass and fuck him raw till the next week. But I was enjoying seeing him suffer, yelling out of pleasure, while I loosened his anus with my fingers.

In a single move, I put on a third one, and this time a heavy groan came out of the boy's throat, stretching his neck up releasing it, as I frenetically moved my three fingers inside of him.

After I reached new heights of velocity with my fingers, making Natsu moan more and more violently, I slowly decreased it, and the sounds coming from his mouth also became more lower and sexier, till I stopped it all together.

Still lost amongst all of the pleasure, pink head opened his eyes, like he was waking up from a hallucination, confused. I stopped my mouth from playing with his neck, looking directly at him, as he body stopped moving and he tried to get the pieces together.

He moaned with distaste, protesting for more, and I smiled at his aimlessly.

And in a single move, I pulled him over and inserted my massive dick inside his tight anus in a single move, making him scream hard, while all the waves of pleasure were hitting him again.

Looking up at the ceiling of the big empty room, the guy shouted and writhed his body around me, as I pounded more and more abruptly, my cock breaking into his pulsing aperture from under the water, violently. The biggest pleasure I was getting from it, however, was seeing the boy tied with me get crazy with pleasure, the veins around his neck popping as screams kept popping up from out of his mouth, louder and louder from the one that came before.

Encouraging me to bury my penis deeper inside him, Natsu kept kicking my back, his nails still carved against my skin, like he was trying to keep the minimum control over the situation.

Getting the message, I implanted my also pulsing dick inside his ass as hard as I could, pounded into it more and more violently. I could feel my cock's head hitting his prostate Soon, I got carried away, and lost myself amongst the moaning that was also coming out of my throat, mixing with Natsu's loud screams.

I felt my body get consumed with pleasure, as it slowly went from my groin area up into my head, and the moaning and groaning kept getting louder, Natsu moving violently against me. A build up started to develop inside my chest. My climax was arriving.

I started to pound as hard as I could into the pink-haired boy anus, loosening it, reaching his prostate, as he kicked me. My hand went to his set of pink locks above his head and grabbed it, tightly, as I broke into him.

In a move, I moved away from Natsu's now burning asshole for less than a second, still holding tight to his hair, and buried my cock inside of him again with all I got.

Suddenly, a shockwave of pleasure came running towards my body, as we both shared a loud, violent yell, looking up to the ceiling. I had come. The white liquid had blasted from out of my cock, hitting the other boy's asshole.

As I tried to get my senses together, taking deep breaths, and feeling all of my muscles hurting, especially my calves, I looked down to Natsu, realizing he, too, had ejaculated, as his sudden moves slowly became calmer, and he looked at me, blushing, which made me give him a dirty smile. I loved the whore he became when carried away.

Still having trouble to breath, I joined my forehead with his, looking directly into his eyes, while we both tried to calm down, our breaths hitting one another's faces.

"You're a really great swimmer…" Natsu said, in between inhales. "You should try out for the university Olympics…" I smiled as he proposed me that. It was the first time I was hearing of that event, but I couldn't focus straight on what was coming off of his mouth, since I was too busy admiring his face. "What do you say…?" He asked, but I was too tired and cathartic to even remember what he was referring to. A build up formed, while I tried to get my respiration together, pink head waiting for my response.

"My dick is totally bigger than yours…" I splash of water hit my face, as we both laughed in that empty room.

…

I was walking on campus. It was late in the afternoon, and I had just bought a bottle of cheap wine for my date with Natsu that night. We were going to the park, where we've been constantly meeting ever since our affair started.

Then suddenly, walking around the grass, I heard someone crying a couple of feet away. I turned around and saw Lucy, Natsu's girlfriend, sitting on the grass and crying, being comforted by two other girls. My instincts make me hide behind a tree near me, to listen to it. I knew it wasn't right, but I simply had to.

"Calm down, Lucy…"

"I can't." The girl replied, amongst her sobbing. "I can feel him slipping away, you know? He can't be with me tonight because he already has plans. What if he's having an affair?" The blonde broke into tears once more.

"Well, then he is a jerk and you shouldn't be suffering for a man like that."

"Yes, I doubt Natsu would do that. He really cares about you, you know?" These words from one of Lucy's friend made my heart jump inside my chest, as I swallowed hard. It was my fault that innocent girl was suffering.

"I don't know what else I can do… I really like him, you know, but he just doesn't seem interested in me anymore. And I don't know what I can do. Everything I try simply fails…" Once again, her words got lost amongst her tears.

I couldn't take that anymore. Building up courage, I left my hiding spot and kept walking. My head was completely lost, and my heart pounding. I felt like throwing up. I just couldn't believe how self-involved I was. All this time worrying about how that affair affected me, completely forgetting the other part involved. I was a home wrecker, and I couldn't cope with that fact.

Finally getting to my dorm, I slammed my hands into the desk, using it as a support, since I couldn't even breath at that moment. I arched my back, inhaling and exhaling, trying to clear my head, to find some guidance within me, to be able to move again.

Building up some courage, I took my phone from out of my pocket, and dialed Natsu's number, not realizing what I was doing. It was all so blurry in that room.

"Natsu?"

"Hey, Gray. So, everything set up for our date tonight?" Those words made my body shake harder. I couldn't believe what I was about to do. I didn't want to do it. But I had to.

"No, Natsu." I spat out those words. "No, I can't do this anymore."

"Gray…"

"No, just hear me out please. I know I promised you one month, but it's not right. It's not right Natsu!" I started shouting without noticing, tears popping into my eyes.

"Why are you doing this? Did something happen?" I swallowed hard with that question.

"This isn't right. I can't tell you how to live your life, but I can decide how I'm going to live mine. And this that we're doing… It's hurting all the parts involved…"

"Gray, please…" The boy said in a whining tone. I could sense he was bursting into tears, too.

"I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt anyone, anymore. It was good while it lasted. One day, when you have already sorted out your feelings and such, look for me…"

"What? No, Gray. You can't do this…"

"Goodbye."

I hang up the call, my whole-body trembling, not believing what I had just done. Silent, compulsive tears were falling down my face, as I picked up the bottle of cheap wine I had just bought, opening it and taking violent sips, trying to drink myself out of that mess.

Suddenly, my eyes met a piece of paper on top of the desk. It had Caesar's phone number written on it. Knowing far well that it was a stupid move, I decided to dial it. Getting my attention on my mobile, suddenly it started vibrating, Natsu's name popping up on its screen. It made me shake out of nervousness seeing his name there. In a single breath, I refused the call, and, trying to convince myself to do it, I dialed Caesar's number.

"Hello…?"

"Caesar, is Gray." My voice weakened saying that.

"Gray? Hi! Are you ok?"

"Me? I'm fine…" I swallowed hard once more, realizing the size of that lie. "Look, I'm just calling to ask… Are you still down for a date? Tonight?"

"What? Sure! I'll pick you up."

"Seven o'clock?"

"Sounds great. I'll show up in front of your building."

"Okay. Till then. Bye…"

"Bye."

I hang up, trembling and breathing deeply, realizing the stupid move I had just done. But it was for the best, I tried to convince myself. It was for the best…

…

I stepped out of the building, dressing my best set of fancy clothes. It was my first _actual_ date ever since I moved to college. That took long enough.

I saw Caesar standing there. He was also fancy. And hot. I took a deep breath, and forced a smile on my face, seeing my date there. It was time to let go all of those bad feelings that were ravaging me.

"Well, you look handsome…"

"You're the one to talk…" I smiled, replying to him. The man stretched his arm towards me for me to hold his hand, which I did, cautiously, with a small smile up on my face.

"So, where do you want to go?"

"Uh…" Before I could get the chance to answer, a sudden shout took me from my line of thoughts.

"Gray!"

I turned around, in shock, hearing my name. Letting go of Caesar's hand, I saw Natsu there, his back arched, as he tried to recuperate his breath. Differently from the other two men in front of him, the pink-haired boy was wearing sweatpants and a dirty shirt. It was clear he came running towards that spot.

"Who is that guy?" The dark-blond next to me whispered into my ear, as I tried to figure out what to say seeing the boy there. My eyes popped and my jaw dropped, while my heart pounded inside my chest.

"Natsu, what…" I tried to work out some words, before I was interrupted by the boy in front of me, finally getting his breath back.

"Gray, please. I broke up with Lucy!"

"What…?"

"It's over. I told her about us. About myself. I told her… I just want to be with you…" As since as I heard those words, my eyes watered, and I felt a lump in my throat. I couldn't believe that was actually happening.

"What is going on?" Caesar talked into my ear again, waking me up from my fantasies, as I was reminded he was also there. I started shaking from a feeling of _what am I going to do now?_

"Caesar, I…" I turned over to the guy, trying to think of something to say, until I was interrupted again.

"Gray, please. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me… I like spending time with you. I like seeing your face every day… Just give me a chance. We can make this work, I know we can…"

Completely lost with the emotions being shot at me all at once, I turned around to Natsu again, not knowing what to reply. Not while the other man was standing there, waiting for us to go on a date. Until;

"It's okay." The dark-blond whispered in my ear again, making me turn around to see his face. "I know what is going on." He gave a sympathetic smile, touching my shoulder. "Go…"

"I'm sorry…" I finally said something, still shaking, and walked away from Caesar, giving him one last smile. Then, I could finally focus on the pink-haired boy declaring himself to me, and my smile grew wider, seeing him there, until I grabbed his hand. I couldn't believe that was real.

"So…" Natsu said, still amongst his inhaling. "Can we make this work?"

"Hum…" I pretended to think about it for a few seconds, which I could tell actually scared him. "Yes." I looked directly into his green eyes, my smile growing even more. "Yes, we can make it work."

Natsu retributed the smile, and we both came closer into a kiss. A deep, loving kiss. Free of guilt. The first one of many. That was when I knew; I actually loved him.


	10. May 3rd, 2012 - The Coming Out

"So..." I asked the boy sitting in front of me with a suggestive tone of voice, grabbing his hands. "What are your plans for the golden week?"

That was our first major holiday since we've been together, and thoughts on spending it together kept popping up inside my head. Maybe by the beach, where we could play by the water, and he could run away from me, until I'd catch him and we'd fall on the sand and start making out…

"Oh, I'm going home, actually." Natsu answered like it was no big deal, and continued to eat his food, not looking at my direction, not realizing that he had completely blew me off.

All that I could do was rest my back against my chair, watching pink head eat. It was just so frustrating. Not because I wouldn't get to fulfill my beach fantasy, but his completely lack of consideration to realize that maybe I would like to go to his hometown and meet his family.

Natsu never talked to me about his life before college, about his friends back at home, about his parents. The only thing I knew was that his judo teacher died tragically, and even that took a lot for me to get him to open up to me.

"May I ask you a question?" I swallowed hard, searching for the courage to have that long overdue conversation. The pink-haired boy looked at me, the surroundings of his mouth dirty with food, while he agreed with his head. "How come you never talk to me about your family?"

Natsu choke on his own food after I said those words, taking a sip of his beverage to swallow it down.

"What do you mean?" He acted dumb.

"You never say anything to me about your origins. I mean, come on we've been together for six months now and I don't know nearly anything about your life outside of this university…"

"Gray…" Before my boyfriend could reason with me, his phone started beeping on top of the table. "Oh, shit. I'm sorry Gray, but they are needing me at the drama club." I rolled my eyes with those words, seeing the pink-haired boy stand up from his sit. "But, hey, I promise we'll have this conversation another time, okay? I just have to go."

But what did Natsu had to do with the drama club, you might be asking. What happened was; after the Olympics, his coach reported his behavior to the dean. My boyfriend managed to justify his act by saying he was too tired from being up all night on the cleaning team, and it was affecting the way he dealt with people. And so, he was assigned to help build up the scenario and props for the year's final play.

It was consuming all of his time, and making me even more frustrated.

…

I opened the door of my dorm, Natsu was standing there with a sorry face, which made me smile. He knew that face got to me every time.

"Hey. Is Loki here yet?" My boyfriend was asking about the premature trip Loki was going to take for the holiday.

"No, he already went. Come in…" The pink-haired boy pulled me for a casual kiss and walked into the room. "So…" I said, realizing I didn't want to postpone that conversation anymore. "Can we have that talk we couldn't have at lunch?"

"Come here…" Pink head pulled me by the hand, sitting us both on my bed. "I'm sorry if I made you feel like you weren't welcomed in other aspects of my life…" He said, rubbing my cheek with his hand.

"It's not that… I just happen to wonder about how is your family like, and your hometown, and stuff like that, you know? And the more I dwell into those thoughts, I wonder why haven't you shared those things with me yet… I mean," I jumped in, before he could counterargue me. "you know my family, and my old home, and stuff like that. Granted, it all took place during a crisis and it wasn't planned, but I think that, by this time on our relationship, I would have shared this stuff with you. Don't you?" By the time I finished speaking, my boyfriend was looking down on the floor, shaking a little, his hand still holding mine.

"You're right." Natsu said, after a few seconds, still not looking at me, before he faced my onyx eyes again. "I want to share this things with you. Of course I do. You're the first guy I've ever been in love with. I guess I'm just…" His voice weakened before he could finish the sentence, facing down again. "Scarred…"

"I thought that might've been the case…" I said, taking a deep breath in realization. That thought came to me after a while I've been bummed out about Natsu never mention those stuff to me. When I realized that, I felt so stupid and selfish and decided to respect his feelings. If it weren't for it, I would have questioned him way earlier. I just couldn't keep it to myself when he plainly said he was going home for the golden week without a slight of consideration towards me.

"I just… Don't know how my family would be about all that, you know?"

"Do you think they might condemn it?"

"I don't know." He sighed. "My dad is very much the virile type. He never expressed any sign of prejudice or anything, but he is very intimidating, and put to himself, you know? I have no idea how he would react."

"And your mom?" I asked, making him shut quiet for a little while, making me think that I had hit a nerve or something.

"Look…" My boyfriend finally said, looking into my eyes again. "I can't take you to meet my family right now. But I can…" He entered more into the bed, sitting by the headboard, pressing his back against the wall. "Tell you about them." The pink-haired boy slapped his leg, making a gesture for me to lie on them.

"Is this the part I unlock your tragic backstory?" I jokingly said, lying my head on his lap, my body stretched on the bed, which made him laugh.

"Too real…" Natsu joked back, taking a deep breath before unleashing his memories. "It all started on a town called Magnolia. That was where my mom leaved. She was called Porlyusica, and she was a medical student on their local junior college. My father was the contrary of her. His name was Igneel, and he worked on a travelling circus."

"No way! Seriously? That is awesome!"

"Shhh, no interrupting!"

"Sorry…"

"Anyway, he was a trapeze artist. And for two weeks the circus stayed in Magnolia, and that was where they met. Now, Igneel was older than Porlyusica. She was nineteen when they met, and he was well into his thirties. My mom went to one of my dad's performances, and, in his own words, she immediately popped out from the rest of the crowd to him. She was sitting on the first bench, and smiling excitedly towards everything. It was her smile, he said, that got his heart. And so, my father asked my mother out by the end of the show, but she was too shy and demure to accept. He insisted though, saying he would be waiting for her at the town's square at nine o'clock, if she decided to show up. And so, she did. And they had a torrid romance. And for those two weeks, it seemed as though the world was perfect. Until a friend of my mothers told her parents she was having relations with an older man from the circus. In a huge fight with her strict, religious parents, Porlyusica got kicked out of the house, and resorted to Igneel in that time of need. She ran away with him, and the circus. And got impregnated with me. My father, then, decided to leave the circus, so they could start a proper family. They settled on another town, and they lived there, until her death, during labor…"

"Oh, my god…" I interrupted again, really driven into the story.

"And so, there was only my father and little baby me. He tried to keep on living there, but it was just too much to take in. Feeling like his emotions were keeping him from being an actual good parent, Igneel finally decided to take some action, and took a bus to Magnolia. He was going to return me to my grandparents, deeming them as more fit to take me in. But the bus broke down mid trip, and we had to spend the night in this small village, called The Dragon Village. During the night, my father stopped being a pussy, and came back into his senses. And so, decided to leave there, with me."

"Wow…" I said after a few seconds. Silent tears were falling down my face. I stood up, looking at my boyfriend's direction. "That is a really powerful story…" I grabbed his hand and aimed my eyes directly at his green lobes, making him smile.

"After that, me and my father lived there, happily, for the most part. He was always kind of stiff, but he always showed me love, in his own way, and he always wanted to taught me good lessons, but I could feel he was lonely, and he could feel I was lonely too. That's why, when I was five, he put me on a judo class, where I met my sensei I talked to you about." I swallowed hard, remembering that other heartfelt conversation. "And he met Grandine when I was about six. She was an elementary school teacher. They ended up hitting it off, and got married, and she even got pregnant, with my little sister, Wendy."

"You have a sister?" I smiled with that knowledge.

"I do. I think she would really like you." My smile grew bigger, until I fell back into reality, remembering that I wouldn't get to meet his sister anytime soon, because Natsu wasn't comfortable introducing me to his family yet. Trying to shake those thoughts away from my head, I gave the pink-haired boy in front of me a passionate kiss. "And you know why I painted my hair pink?" He questioned me, after the kiss ended, and we kept our heads closer to each other, feeling the air coming out of each other noses hitting our faces. "It's an ode to my mother, actually. After she went on leaving with my father, she painted _her_ hair pink, like a statement after leaving her strict lifestyle behind. And all the pictures I have of her are from that period, so, that's pretty much the image I have of my mom…"

"Wow…" I said, tears popping on my eyes again. "You have such a story…" A smile appeared on my lips again. After a while just looking into one another's eyes, with our noses touching, I shook myself out of that state, lying on Natsu's lap again. "Anyway," I said, trying to get all the emotion baggage behind us. "how was the rehearsal today?"

"You know I'm not actually on the play, right?"

"Yes, I know, but you seem to watch every rehearsal till the end, so…" I teased him, passive aggressively about the fact that he was spending too much time on the auditorium with that play than with me, lately.

"It was lovely, if you should know…"

"They are doing Grease, this year, right?"

"Yes, and it is coming off better than ever, every rehearsal it just gets better and better…"

And so, my boyfriend got carried away talking about his newfound love for the university play. All I could do was smile, listening to him talk about something he was actually passionate about. Even though it might bother me how much time of his it was consuming, it was always nice to hear Natsu talk for ours about something that excited him.

"If you like the play so much, can you sing one of the songs to me?" I smiled at his direction, while he arched his brow at me.

Natsu, then, started to sing to _Summer Nights_ , while caressing my hair. I closed my eyes, concentrating on his beautiful, heavy, tender voice. Who knew singing would end up being one more of his hidden talents? And with each talent I discovered he had, the more I loved him.

…

"Where are you taking me?" I insisted, as I was walking around for fifteen minutes at least with those blindfolds on.

"Stop being so impatient!" My boyfriend replied to me, holding my hand. He said he had a surprise for me, and blindfolded me, walking me around to wherever that surprise was, and I was getting really unease. "Here. You can take it off now."

"Finally." I got my sight back, and, surprise, surprise, the pink-haired boy was taking me to our spot, the tree at the park, all along. I lowered down my eyes seeing a small box by the bottom of the tree. "What's this?" I asked, lowering down, to pick it up.

"Well, you'll just have to open it." He gave me a smarty look, while I, very suspiciously, opened the blue box.

Inside, a train ticket. To some place called Cold End. Not understanding what it was, I moved my face towards Natsu's direction, who was anxiously smiling at me, but I couldn't help but to raise my eyebrow, in confusion.

"I don't get it. What's this, what's Cold End?"

"Well, The Dragon Village is too small of a place to have its own train line. But, a way to get there is to get off on Cold End's station and take a cab, it's only twenty minutes away, so…" My eyes popped with that explanation, I just wasn't getting it. What happened with the whole "I'm not ready for you to meet my family yet" thing?

"What…" I tried to work out a sentence, still lost with all that was going down.

"I know what I said earlier…" He grabbed my hand, getting closer to me, our noses almost touching. "But, seeing how touched you were when I told you my family's story, I decided you were too important to me to let my fear stand in the way…"

"So, that means I'm going to meet your family?" A warm smile took over me, whilst I pressed his hand tighter.

"Yes!" Natsu let a shout come out, in excitement, as pulling me over to a warm kiss.

I couldn't think of a better surprise.

…

We woke up on the next day, already packed, and, still half asleep, went to the train station. It was a two-hour ride. We could manage to make the old lady sitting next to Natsu exchange sits, so we could sit side by side during the trip.

Half the time, I slept in his shoulder. The other half we were awake, and, again, the conversation revolved around the play my boyfriend was helping put together. It was interesting at the beginning, then it got to the stage where I stopped listening on what he was actually saying and focusing only on how excited and cute he looked talking about it. But then, it became too much even for me, and I got bored, so I just focused on the view from outside the window while the words came out of the pink-haired boy's mouth.

Finally, we reached our first destination, and, for a while, I got Natsu focused on getting us a cab, not the play. But as soon as we got into a car, he came back.

"And so, this boy who plays the lead, Mitsuru, have I told you about him? Well, anyway, he tripped during the number…" Pink head told that story for me at least three times, and every time he would burst into laughter before he could properly finish it. I took a deep breath, while looking out the window.

"Hey," I finally dug out the guts to interrupt him from inside of me, seeing I didn't want to listen to the same stories again and again. "we are going to your hometown, are you excited?" I reached out to his hand, grabbing it and looking at his direction.

"I guess… I mean, I've been there a bunch of times, I used to live there, so… What about you?" He retributed my stare. "Are you excited?"

"Oh, definitely. What about its name, though?" I added, realizing more theater talk was about to come up. "Why is it called The _Dragon_ Village? It sounds like something out of medieval stories, or something…"

"It's actually an interesting story…" Natsu said, sighing, and resting his back on the cab sit. "Legends has it the emperor that used to rule this part of the land, many years ago, had a son, who, due to a curse, was bound to become a dragon when he reached twenty, although with each year, more and more signs of becoming a dragon appeared on him, so the emperor prohibited the boy of leaving the palace and tried hard to stop the curse, by sacrificing his subjects from the villages all around his palace. But nothing seemed to work. When founding out what his father was doing, the prince was really furious, and his fury made him into a full dragon. He left the palace, and vowed to protect the people from the emperor's tyranny. He moved into a cave deep in the woods, but, in order to feel more protected, the villagers build a town next to that cave, and so, it came to be the dragon village.

"Wow…" I said, hearing that story. "Do you think it's true?" I looked over to my boyfriend, waiting for his response.

"Well, I don't know… The palace of the emperor really exists though, it's a few towns away. And the cave, too. We used to have field trips there in elementary school."

"That's amazing." I brought his hand closer to me, kissing it, making Natsu smile at me in response.

After a couple of minutes, we reached the village. My boyfriend asked the driver to leave us by the entrance, not that I knew why, and so he did. We picked our bags from the trunk and watched the car go, as we stood in front of a sign that read " _Welcome to The Dragon Village_ ".

Exchanging looks, we smiled at one another, grabbing hands, and walked into that place, bags in our hands and the sun shining above us.

Natsu guided me towards the town, but as soon as someone passed by us on the streets and greeted us, he soon blushed and let my hand go, greeting them back. It was an awkward moment, walking beside him like that. He was clearly anxious and nervous to be walking on his old town with his boyfriend next to him. I hadn't seen Natsu like that for a long time.

He finally stopped by a small house, of one floor and a wooden roof, turning over to me, and whispering.

"Okay, before we come in, can we decide how things are going to go in there? How are we going to act?" Natsu was breathing deeply and sweating cold.

"Natsu, are you okay?"

"I am, I just…" He stopped for a bit, trying to get his breath back. "Shit, I haven't thought this through…"

"Natsu." I tried to call pink head's attention, but he was about to have a nervous breakdown. "Natsu." I emphasized, grabbing his wrist, which made him look at me, scared by the sudden touch. "Calm down. It's going to be okay… If you don't feel like coming out just yet…"

"Shhh!" The pink-haired guy reprehended me, letting his wrist go. "I can't do this, Gray. I can't do this. I thought I could, but I can't…" Tears started coming out of his eyes, and stood there, watching my boyfriend suffer, trying to figure out how to comfort him.

"It's okay." I put my hand on his shoulder, but he moved it, not wanting me to touch him at the moment. "It's okay babe. I'll do whatever you want me to do… Please…" Natsu stood still in silent, looking at the ground, while his tears gradually stopped.

"You'll have to go." He looked back at me, saying like it was the most natural solution on the world.

"What?!" It came louder than I intended, making a panic look show up on my boyfriend's face. "What?" I repeated, with the same intonation, but whispering. "You can be serious…"

"I'm sorry. I love you, but I can't…" He replied to me, shaking his head on a positive way, trying to convince himself of that ludicrous idea. "You have to…"

"Natsu!" A sudden shout got us both out of that discussion. We both turned our heads towards the scream direction, seeing a small girl with blue hair stuck in pigtails. She was smiling at us.

"Oh shit." Natsu whispered, between his teeth, as he faked a smile. "Hey, Wendy." He waved her a hello.

"Mom! Natsu is here!" The little girl ran out of our sight.

"Oh shit, what now Gray?" Natsu turned around to me again, his forced smile giving place to a despair look.

"It's going to be okay. Trust me." That was the best I could come up with.

We both got pulled out of that conversation again, hearing the sound of the door opening. Looking at its direction, a relatively short woman with gray hair appeared at our sight. She wore glasses, and smiled at Natsu's direction, seeing him there.

"Natsu!" The woman pulled him for a hug.

"Hey, Grandine…" He said, strengthen up his own voice.

"And you are?" She said, after letting her stepson go, looking at me. Dead silence surged between the two of us for a split second, before I jumped in and introduced myself, before Natsu panicked again.

"Hi, I'm Gray. I'm Natsu's friend… from college!" I added with confidence, trying to act natural.

"Hi, Gray." I went to her hand, but Grandine pulled me for a hug, too. "Come in. Come in." We walked inside the small place. The living room took almost all of the house. It was divided between the dinner table in one side, and the television on the other, with two couches surrounding it. One in the front, and the other by the right side. There were two doors beside the TV, the one in the left was opened, revealing a twin bed with pink sheets on it. It was the room Natsu sister saw us through the window. The other one was closed, and it was probably his father's room. "Wendy, have you washed your hands?" Grandine's voice got me out of my analyzing of the room.

"Yes." A high-pitched voice came from behind me, making me and my boyfriend turn around. "Natsu!" Pink head's sister ran towards him.

"Hey, little thing!" He grabbed her by the waist, lifting the little girl up. "I've missed you!" My boyfriend gave the girl a kiss in the cheek, as I smiled, seeing him interact with his sister.

"I've missed you too." She hugged his neck. "But can you stop calling me little thing from now on?"

"I see… Not cool for your fifth-grade friends, huh?"

"I didn't say that…" She blushed, while her brother put her down. Then, Wendy realized I was there too, looking at my face, not knowing what to say.

"Hi! I'm a friend of your brother's." I stretched my hand to the girl. "My name is Gray."

"Hi, Gray." The blue-haired girl blushed, looking directly into my eyes. It was a little weird.

"Igneel! Your son is here!" Grandine yelled one more time.

Suddenly, the door of the room in the right opened. Out of it, came out a really tall man, walking with the support of a cane. He had long, red hair, hitting under his shoulder. His face was cranky and intimidating, and seeing him walking on our direction, made my body tremble a bit. He had a small unshaved beard and a scar on his left cheek, which made his whole look even more terrifying.

"Hey dad…" Natsu whispered shyly, seeing his father approaching.

"Screw that." The man smirked, deconstructing his grumpy face, grabbing his son into a hug. Watching them hug, I smiled, but also got even more nervous, seeing as the time for me to talk with that scary man was approaching. "And you are…?" He walked to me, with his frightening expression back on, which almost made me urinate on my pants.

"Hi, I'm Gray…" It took me a second to process out of my dread and answer him, stretching my hand at his direction. "I'm a friend of Natsu's…" Igneel grabbed my hand, barely breaking it, while I swallowed hard trying to pretend it wasn't hurting at all.

"Very well." He finally let it go and I waited him to walk past me, so I could shake my hand in relief. Unfortunately, Natsu saw that, and laughed at me, as I blushed.

He came towards me and put his hand on my shoulder, while we walked towards the table, sitting on the right side, while Wendy sat on the head. Their parents were bringing the food from the kitchen.

The food was roast chicken with mashed potatoes. Then the adults sat down with us and we dug in on the food. It was marvelous. Sitting there on that table, in the country, the whole family together eating the mother's food, it was really something else, like I was dragged into a yogurt commercial with your traditional happy old-school family gathering. It was quite comforting, actually.

"So, Gray…" Igneel's heavy voice called my name, while I had mashed potatoes all over my mouth. I looked at him, cleaning it with a napkin. "What is your major?"

"It's pre-law, actually." I answered, covering my mouth with the piece of paper.

"Really? Well, that's very different from Natsu's. How did you meet?" My whole-body shivered with that question, but my attention soon went to my boyfriend sitting next to me, that choked with his food and started coughing, as soon as that question was made.

"Natsu, are you ok?" Grandine asked.

"I'm fine…" Pink head replied, a few seconds later, after swallowing the food in his mouth, at last.

I looked at Igneel in front of me, seeing if he was still waiting for my reply, and, unfortunately, the scary man was looking at my direction, with his eyebrow arched, waiting on me to answer his question. I swallowed hard with that view, and clenched my fist, trying to find the strength to say something.

"Well… We met during a presentation, on the auditorium. He was sitting right behind me, we started talking, and… that was it." I looked over to Natsu, sitting next to me, with a side-eye, and we both smiled at one another, with that slight distortion of the truth.

"Natsu, I heard you got a silver medal on the university games. You must've been really proud of yourself, huh?" His stepmom barged in, smiling at the pink-haired boy, who forced a smile at her, and looked down, faced with that touchy subject.

"Yes, I wanted to talk to you about that." Once again Igneel's voice marked its presence, which made me tremble, again. It was just his voice was so hoarse and heavy, that when it made itself present, it just shook me. "What happened? I've seen you fight, I know you could take that gold medal, and shake those so-called competitors of yours to their core."

"Well, sometimes things just don't go as expected…" My boyfriend simply replied, still facing down to his plate, and clenching his fist, with a low voice.

"Well, it doesn't matter. Second place is still really impressive." Grandine barged in again, trying to keep the calm.

"I didn't raise Natsu by congratulating under-achievement." The pink-haired boy father stated, roughly, making me swallow dry and look at my boyfriend, who was still looking down with an unpleasant expression on. I could see why he was so scared of coming out to his family now.

"Yeah, I agree." Wendy said, reminding me the little girl was also on the table. "Natsu could really kick some…" She exchanged looks with her mother, who was not pleased with the possible end of that sentence. "Butts…" She smiled at the adult woman, who, surrendering, smiled back.

"I'm sorry I disappointed you, dad. Okay?" Natsu roughly snapped, still facing down.

"Honey, no one said you disappointed us…" His stepmom once again tried to keep things civil.

"Actually, I do believe you could have done better…"

"Igneel!" Grandine snapped at her husband.

"Can we just change the subject, please?" I slowly put my hand on Natsu's leg under the table, trying to calm him down, after he said those words, and silent reigned on the table. The sweet traditional family environment seemed to had faded away quickly.

"Well… Igneel," I swallowed hard again, before calling my boyfriend's dad, trying to change the subject, as requested. "Natsu told me you used to be a part of a travelling circus… That's awesome!" The redhead man smiled for the second time since I've met him, changing his grumpy face, which, somehow, made he seem at the same time more approachable and scarier.

"Indeed, I did. You must've assumed the way I look has something to do with it…" I shrugged, but, indeed, Igneel looked like a comic book anti-hero, with his scar and his walking cane. The only thing missing was an eye-patch for the look to be complete. "But actually, this scar I have is from when I got caught in a fire in my childhood. My house burned down." My eyes popped with that new piece of information, and how natural the man sitting in front of me delivered it. "And the cane was for when I built Natsu's new room when we were expecting Wendy. I fell from the roof, and it was it."

"Yes, I was wondering what the stairs led to…" My eyes looked over to the wooden stairs by the right side of the room, which led to a single door. "When walking over to the front of the house, I thought it had only one floor…"

"It's more of an improvised second floor, really…" Grandine spoke.

"And, dad, do you know if Yumi and the guys are coming to town during the summer?" Natsu came back to the conversation on the table.

"They always come, don't they? This are the guys from the circus I used to be a part of…" The man looked at me, explaining. He was not looking as scary now that I managed to build a conversation between us. "They usually come around July."

"Yes, and you know how I feel about you performing with them with your leg's condition…" The grey-haired woman imputed.

"Please, I've been doing it for years and nothing ever happened. They come here, to the end of the world, just for me, the least I can do is perform with them." Igneel looked at me like what his wife said was simply ridiculous, making me laugh with his expression. "But Natsu," Igneel got his attention back to his son, making us both tremble a bit. "besides the Olympics, how is college? We don't see each other since Christmas…"

"Well, dad…" I took a glimpse of my boyfriend, seeing him swallow hard before answering his father. "It's… Fine." He forced a smile at his father.

"Fine? Well, I'm sure it's more than _fine_. What have you been doing there? Have you found a new girlfriend since you broke up with that girl?" I shivered hearing those words, trying really hard not to look at pink head's direction again, so it would become too obvious. "Can you believe this guy?" Igneel now was talking to me, and I forced a smile at him. "He dates this girl he met on a trip I sent him to, to celebrate him entering into college, and we never get to meet her…"

"Igneel, please." Grandine barged in, once again, touching her husband on the arm.

"No, I'm just saying…"

"Well, if you must know…" I finally got the strength to say something, trying to end that awkward subject. Natsu looked at me in despair, kicking me from under the table, which made me smile before I could finish what I had to say. "Natsu is working on the school play." I said, and I could hear my boyfriend sighing in relief from inside.

"Really? Wow, isn't that something!" His stepmom opened a smile. "I didn't know you could act!"

"Yeah, well, I'm not acting on it, actually. I'm helping build the scenario and the props and stuff… And, I'm an understudy of the male lead…"

"What?!" I turned around to him, not containing my surprise. "You didn't tell me that!"

"I did, too!" Natsu replied, bothered. "I knew you weren't listening when I talked to you about the play!" He pointed his finger at me, with a victorious smile, and all I could do was swallow hard and face down. He had caught me. Soon, we both realized we were acting too much like a couple in front of his family, and faced front again, blushing.

"I never thought you were going to repeat my steps into the artistic world, son." Igneel smiled again, showing a bit more of his sweet side.

"Well, like I said, it's nothing major…"

"What is the play?" Grandine asked, in excitement, ignoring what his stepson just said.

"It's Grease…"

"Grease?" Wendy opened her mouth again, reminding me she was there, for the second time. "My friend Emi has the DVD. She showed it to me. I love this movie! Will you be playing Danny, Natsu?!" The little girl also appeared very excited.

"Probably not…"

"What about you, what are your hobbies?" The grey-headed woman focused her attentions on me.

"Well, I like swimming, actually…"

"Do you? And did you participate in the Olympics?" Igneel asked me.

"I did, yeah. We didn't win, though…"

"Yeah, but you were the first swimmer to get to the finish line in your category…" My boyfriend tried to make my accomplishment bigger then it was, putting his hand on my shoulder. "What kept you from winning was the other guys…"

"Well, sometimes this happens. We give our best, and our teammates do their best, but sometimes their best isn't as strong as yours, not that this makes you better than them. You just have to own that those are your companions and help them get better, never turning your back on them or blaming them. Their failure is your failure. And their victory is your victory. That is the meaning of a team." The ginger man in front of me lectured us, while taking a sip of his beverage.

"Oh dad, do you have to make everything into a moral lesson?"

"No, he is right." I interrupted Natsu, looking into his father's eyes, as he raised his glass at me, making me giggle.

After that, what followed was basically a normal conversation between a family during lunch. We laughed, shared stories, and ate. They really were your run of the mill typical family, but they were special that way, and I were already feeling accepted, between their voices and laughs, and hearing old family stories. I wasn't scared or intimidated anymore, and, sitting there, I thought to myself that, if I came to their house every holiday, and Christmas, and birthday parties, well, I would be lucky to have found a second family as special.

"Some family you have, huh?" I said to Natsu. We were all alone now, washing the dishes in the kitchen.

"Did you like them?"

"Are you kidding me? I loved them." Suddenly, the pink-haired boy stopped washing with those words, which made me turn over to him. "What?" He put his cold wet hands on my cheeks, making me look straight into his eyes, retributing the smile.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

My smile grew bigger, before Natsu pulled me closer, our lips meeting for a tender kiss. And we stayed like that for a while, until we heard the sound of glass crashing on the floor.

Immediately we stopped the kiss and turned over to the front, side by side. Igneel was by the door, looking at us, eyes popped and completely immobile. Seeing his surprised look made my whole-body shake, I thought the floor was opening from under me and that I was about to be swallowed by it. I couldn't move, and, yet, I felt dizzy and about to throw up like I spent the whole day spinning around me. My head was burning up, and my legs were weakened. I couldn't get my eyes off of the freakishly tall ginger man in front of me, as his eyes went from his son, and back to me, not showing a single emotion besides shock. And that made everything harder. Was he about to yell? Was he about to cry? Was he about to give us an acceptance speech or to beat the crap out of me?

"What is going on?" Igneel was finally able to build a sentence, his voice came weak this time, and his expression was still focusing on shock rather than anything.

I finally got out of the state I found myself in, when I heard tears coming from beside me. I turn my head around, and saw Natsu facing the floor, bursting into violent tears, back arched, and his hands on his knees. I, cautiously, put my hand on his shoulder, trying to, at the same time, calm him down and showcase I was there for whatever it was about to go down.

We stayed in silence, me and Igneel, on that kitchen, in opposite sides of the room, while everything that filled the silence was Natsu's tears. It took a long time, or at least, it felt like a long time, for him to calm down, as much as he could on that moment. As he stood up I could feel his whole-body trembling, by the simple touch on his shoulder. I rubbed it, gently, as he finally faced his dad again, trying to calm my boyfriend. I couldn't face Igneel at that moment, and kept looking to the pink-haired boy's face.

"Dad…" Natsu mumbled that word, and took a while for him to continue that sentence. Every second we stood there, in silence, made the situation grow more and more tense. "I lied." Pink head said with more convincement, taking a deep breath. He, then, took my hand off of his shoulder, and held it, crossing our fingers. Shaking, I found the strength in me to face the redhead again, who was still impassive by the kitchen door. "Gray is not my friend. He is my boyfriend." Natsu squeezed my hand, harder, looking for strength after that words had been said, and took a deep breath. "He is my boyfriend, and I love him. I don't know if you'll accept it, but this is who I am, and" He looked to me again, smiling, although I was too in shock to retribute. "this is who I love." After he said that part, my heart grew warm, and I gradually stop shaking as hard as I was, and I was able to smile back, after all. Then, pink head faced back his father, and I was able to do it too, with more conviction. "Well, I said what I had to say, so… Now it's on you. Do what you will…"

After a few seconds in silence, Igneel impassive face turned to an angry one. Not cranky like before. Actually furious. He walked with precision towards his son, and grabbed his two arms, making pink head let go of my hand, and face his father.

"How dare you?"

"Please…" I tried to say something.

"Quiet! I'll talk to you later!" He snapped at me, and all I could do was obey. "Have I taught you nothing?! Huh? We spent all this years together, and you dare come into my house thinking I'm some homophobe or something? Thinking I'm one of this people able to stop loving their son because of who he chooses to have sex with?!"

"Wait… What…?" I couldn't be able to stay quiet, trying to understanding what was happening before my eyes.

"Dad…" Natsu mumbled.

"Don't you know me? My own son doesn't know me? Have I failed as a parent?!" Then, the imaginable happened. The scary tall man with a scar burst into tears.

"Dad…"

"Damn it, Natsu! Haven't I thought you to respect people? To be true to yourself? That I'll be always here for you, no matter what?! And you think I won't be able to accept you, because your gay?!"

"I'm bi, actually…" Pink head tried to explain, amongst his shock.

"I love you, son!" Igneel finally let go of his son arms, and grabbed him for a hug.

"I love you too, dad."

I couldn't help but smile seeing that scene unveil in front of me. I gradually stopped shivering, as my heart got his normal speed back. Soon while my senses got back to me, one after another, I realized I had no place on that father-son moment.

"I'll leave you two…" I whispered, walking past them, still hugging, in silence.

I walked into the living room, and Wendy and Grandine were nowhere to be found, strangely enough. I had to assume they realized there was some commotion going down on the kitchen and decided to leave us.

My body was still hurting from that cathartic moment, as I sat on one of the dinner table chairs, trying to assimilate what had just happened.

And I waited for them to come back from the kitchen, while they were probably having a father-son moment. As my normal thoughts came back to me, I couldn't help but envy Natsu a little bit to have a father figure in his life, who loved him so much, like fathers should, and with whom he could count on. Sure, he didn't get to meet his mother, but at least he had Grandine, who also loved him as a son. I never met my father, not because of something unavoidable like death, but simply because he didn't care enough to stick around, and my mom never found anyone to replace him during my growing up years.

After at least an hour of me sitting by myself, occupying myself with my own thoughts, father and son finally got out of the kitchen, as I watched them, my heart pumping again, trying to realize what was going to happen now. Was the intimidating Igneel really going to have a conversation with me, and only me?

It appeared so, when he gave Natsu a tap on the back, and he affirmed with his head, giving me a tender look and walking up the stairs to his room. I started to shiver once more, seeing that tall father-in-law of mine walking towards my direction, and pulling the chair next to mine. Before he could sit, though, we were interrupted by the door being opened and Wendy and Grandine walking in, talking and laughing.

"Oh." The conversation suddenly stopped, when they saw us both by the table. "Hi. Is everything okay?" Grandine asked, a bit uncomfortably.

"Yes." Her husband replied, putting his hand on my shoulder, heavily, making me smile, although also a bit uncomfortably.

"Oh, okay, Wendy and I went to the ice cream shop. I was going to help her do her homework…"

"I don't need help to do my homework…" The girl replied, being pushed towards her room by her mom.

As the door closed, Igneel finally sat down by my side, making me take a deep breath, preparing for what was about to happen. I was actually liking the distraction.

"So, Gray…" Igneel's heavy voice spoke my name. Yep, this was really happening. With another deep breath, I turned my head over to him, our eyes suddenly meeting, which made my shaking worst. At least now I knew from where Natsu's green eyes came from. "You and Natsu, huh?"

"Yep. Me and Natsu…"

"I heard he say he loves you, but what about you? Are you happy with the relationship?"

"To be honest, sir, I think Natsu is the first person I've ever loved. He is actually a really special man." I smiled, tried to bring his softer side, which it worked, because he smiled back.

"Don't need to tell me." He replied, and we stood there, in silence, for a while. "When that boy's mom died, I flipped, you know? She died in labor, so it was me and a newborn, all alone. I had never been a father before. I had no idea what to do. I considered giving up. But I'm glad I didn't. It was amazing going from town to town with a travelling circus and all, but, it wasn't till I started to build a life so I could provide to that little boy that I really started living… He gave new meaning to my life," Igneel started tearing up again. "and now he is all grown-up. I can't say I wouldn't prefer to him to be straight, I'm not sure if it makes me a homophobe or not, but at least I would know he wouldn't suffer as much.

"Don't worry, sir." I grabbed the man's hand, smiling at him. "If we're going to suffer, we'll suffer together. And that is the best silver lining that we could ever wish for." He smiled back, and giggled a little, with my corny words. At least they were true.

"Let me ask you a question, Gray. Are you also bi…curious, or something, or are you gay?"

"No, I'm gay. As gay as they come, actually." We both laughed with those words.

"Yeah, well, who am I to judge? Life in the road was pretty wild, I would make out with anything that moved, no matter if it had a penis or a vagina…" That conversation was getting weird quickly. "Even animals weren't off-limits…" My eyes completely popped when Igneel said that, which made him burst into laughter. "Relax, it's a joke. The animal part at least. But let me tell you, besides the two women I've fallen in love with, some of the best sex of my life were with guys from the circus…"

"So I guess that also makes you bi…curious, or something." I smiled at him. Part of me just couldn't believe I was having a normal conversation and even cracking jokes with the scary man that almost made me urinate in my pants when I first saw him.

"I guess you're right. Anyway, Gray, I guess what I'm trying to do here is just secure that my son found a swell guy for a boyfriend…"

"Don't worry, sir. I won't ever hurt him…" As soon as I said those words, the man in front of me laughed, making me confused.

"Are you kidding me? Son, you're a young couple in love, of course you will hurt one another. But what makes a great couple is not the ability to not hurt each other. Mostly, the couples that don't do that are the ones that can't make their pair feel nothing anymore. What makes a couple great is to keep choosing one another, no matter how hard the adversity, and the obstacles, and even on the days that make you want to give up, to insist, because you know what you have with the one you love is worth it. Destiny isn't a thing, neither is the "meant to be" trope of the fairy tales. You have to earn your happy ending, by fighting hard to keep the flame and passion you have for the one you cherish inside of you lighted up. So, don't tell me you're never going to hurt him, this is bullshit. Tell me you'll always be willing to fix things up, and to apologize, and to never turn your back on him, no matter how hard it may get." By the time my father-in-law finished his speech, I was the one with tears on my eyes, but I couldn't help but to smile.

"And I won't." He smiled back.

"Why am I being so nice? When I had Wendy, the main reason for me to be happy for having a girl was so that I could terrorize her boyfriends. And now, I have the option to do the same with Natsu, and here I am, smiling at you…"

"Well, you better dig in on your opportunity, because as far as I'm concerned, I'm the only boyfriend or girlfriend he'll bring into this house." Once again, Igneel laughed at my words.

"I'm sorry but I have to repeat my words; you're young and in love, he is your first boyfriend, and you're his, do you honestly believe you will end up together, for life?"

"Yes." I said, unshaken. "I feel inside of me something towards your son I never felt towards anyone, and yes, maybe it's because he is my first love, but as you said, I'll never stop fighting for us, and deep down, something tells me he and I will be with one another for our entire lives. And," I barged in, before he could say anything "I know you're probably right and I'm wrong, but, what is the point of being in a relationship if you just assume that you're going to break up someday, you know? And even with ninety nine percent of chance of us breaking up through the course of college, I'll always be with Natsu assuming we'll grow old together. And I'll fight every day for this to come true." After I finished talking, it took a few seconds of the ginger man looking towards me with a straight face, which made me shake in nervousness, before he finally opened his smile.

"Very well… You're a hopelessly romantic, aren't you, Gray?"

"Guilty as charged." I smiled.

"Well, anyway, you should return to your boyfriend, he is probably thinking that I killed you and I'm cooking your body." The adult stood up and walked towards his room's door, with his cane supporting him.

"Igneel." He stopped after I called his name. "Before coming here, Natsu said you were stiff, but a loving man nonetheless. And even though I was terrified of you when we first met, I can see it now. Thank you…"

He didn't turn around, but I could hear him smirking, before walking into his room. As soon as the door closed, I got up, stretching my whole body, and went up the stairs. As soon as I opened the door, Natsu turned his head over to me, sitting on his bed, and smiled. One of his smiles that made my whole body feel warmer.

"How was it?"

"Let's say this…" I paused for dramatic effect. "Your father is loveable, but something tells me he will still be his scary self when we wake up tomorrow."

"Oh, you can count on it." We both smiled at one another with those words.

"And you?"

"We talked. He asked for our historic together, asked about my feelings towards you, if you were treating me right, parent stuff I guess…"

After that, I started walking around Natsu's room, seeing his stuff. The room was not big. The roof followed the triangular shape of the ceiling above it, making it a bit smaller. His bed was also a twin bed, like mine, he had a dresser by the side of it, and a book shelf on the other side. He also had a small couch built into the wall, by the window.

"Is that your mom?" I asked, seeing a picture of her by the bookshelf. She had pink hair, and wore glasses. On the picture, she was sitting on a rock, in the middle of the woods, smiling.

"Yes." Natsu replied, from his bed. "Turn around, there is another picture." And indeed, there was. She was younger, probably sixteen, with blond hair now, and on both sides of her there was two other girls. They were all smiling.

"She was really pretty. Her face resembles yours. And now I know who did you get your hair from." We both smiled, remembering how I found out he was a natural blond in the first place.

"That was the one picture she stole from her house when she got kicked out." After he said that I put the picture frame down and went towards him, sitting by his side, on the bed.

"Have you ever tried to contact your mother's family?"

"Yes. I asked my father that when I was sixteen, and he didn't oppose. He gave me every information he had on them, even the place where they used to live. Before I went there, I did a little research, found out my grandfather had died, and only my grandmother was left. I went to Magnolia, found the house, I even saw her from a distance. But I couldn't find myself to reach to her, to knock on her door." He looked to the other side saying that. "I guess I just wanted that option you know?"

"I do." I grabbed his hand. "I mean, I don't, actually, but I can imagine." The pink-haired boy smiled with those words.

Soon, another picture got my attention. It was more of a poster, actually. It had Natsu in his kimono on it, alongside his colleagues, all on their judo outfits posing, and an adult, tall, with medium-length orange hair till the end of his neck. After a while of me staring at it, Natsu joined me.

"Yes, this is me at twelve years-old. It was a judo championship."

"I can see you won." I pointed that out, seeing him on the center of the picture, with a gold medal around his neck. "Was that your teacher?" I waited to ask that question, not sure if I was supposed to, and asked very cautiously, immediately looking at my boyfriend's direction, to see if he was showcasing any sort of discomfort by that subject.

"Yeah." He simply said, not very pleased, going back to sitting on his bed.

"I'm sorry." I sat next to him. "I didn't know if I should ask or not…"

"It's okay." Natsu replied, stretching his legs and resting them on top of mine. "I mean, I'm already here, I'll be faced with stuff that remind me of him all the time, so…" He smiled at me, as I swallowed hard, regretting having asked. "Hey." Pink head came closer to me, smiling, trying to get me into a better mood. "It's okay." He played with my black locks, making me smile at his smile. "I can't wait to show you around town, tomorrow."

"Me neither." We stretched our heads even closer, for a kiss, and all I could think about was my talk with Igneel moments earlier.

 _Man, if that's a relationship worth fighting for…_

…

"Do you want any desert, Gray?" Grandine asks, from the kitchen.

"No, I'm fine. Thanks, Grandine." I reply, sitting on the living room table.

It has been a while since I visited that house. That cozy, family house. Ever since Natsu died, I never came back. But, in an emotional crisis, coming back from work, I just drove, not even realizing what I was doing. And now I am here.

My eyes go immediately to the chairs in front of me. The ones where Igneel and I were sitting on the night we had that heartfelt conversations. That was a true mark in my life.

"So, Gray…" The grey-haired woman says, coming back from the kitchen, and sitting by the table head, holding my hand. "You should come visit more. I know, I know, it's probably really hard on you." She adds the last part before I can reply. "But it's just…" The woman looks directly into my eyes before completing the sentence, which makes the back of neck chills. "Even though with all the lost that has been consuming this family in the later years, I'll always consider you as a gain." She squeezes my hand saying this, tears popping up in both our eyes.

"Me too…" My voice weakens.

My mind go straight to that time when I thought I would go to Christmas with Natsu here, every two years, since we would alternate between his family and mine. And all the trips we were going to make to the family cabin. And how we would take our children there, someday. And now, those thoughts were going to be set aside.

Suddenly, the sound of the door opening pulled me away from my thoughts. My eyes go to its direction, and Wendy enters.

"Hello." The girl's eyes pop, seeing me there. "Gray!" She run towards me, for a hug.

"Hi, honey."

"See, I told you, we've been missing you around here, haven't we, Wendy?"

"Yes, we have." The younger woman replies, pulling the chair next to me, and sitting on it.

"I've been missing you guys, too." I grabbed their hands, smiling.

"How was practice, sweety?" Grandine asks her daughter.

I look over Wendy. Her hair is still blue, like it has been for all the years I knew her, but now it was short, in a Chanel haircut. She is all grown up now, in her senior year of high school, about to turn eighteen. And playing for her school's baseball team.

"It was tiresome." She sighs

"So, Wendy… Graduation is coming soon. Have you decided what you want to do, career wise?"

"I don't know…"

"She does know. She wants to be a doctor."

"A doctor?! Isn't that something?" I say, as the girl visibly blushes.

"I'm not sure…"

"Honey, you are just saying that because you're afraid your grades won't cut it, but you're a straight A's student…"

"Well, it's just that there are a lot of students in this country…"

"You're right, there are a lot of students in this country…" I say, making she look at me, in surprise. "And I know for a fact that you are one of the smartest." I touch her nose, making Wendy smile. "And I think you should treat kids and teenagers."

"Why is that?"

"Are you kidding me, with this hair, they're going to love you." I mess with her hair, making the teen laugh.

"Mom, can I have some ice cream?"

"Yes. Are you sure you don't want anything Gray?" Grandine asks, getting up.

"You know what, I'm down for some ice cream, too."

"All right."

And so, we spend the night eating, catching up, and laughing. I made the right decision coming there when I needed support. One night with those girls and everything I was feeling seems to have gone away. I needed to be with them. If just to be reminded of that part of my family I thought I had lost. Because, even if those fantasies of going to their Christmas parties with Natsu didn't get to come true, it doesn't mean I can't go to them, by myself.


	11. May 4th-6th, 2013 - The Dragon Village

"So, we've been to the ice cream shop, and skating on the park, what else is there for us to do?" I asked, sitting down by the town's square bench with an ice cream cone on my hands. "Oh my, this is really good!"

"I know, right?" Natsu sat down too, and we both stayed there, licking our ice cream. The town square was really nothing major, only a small squared structure with grass and benches on all its four sides. In the middle, there was a black pillar, with a golden dragon statue lied on it. Suddenly, my boyfriend grabbed my hand, making my eyes drift away from the dragon statue and look at him. "I want to show you something."

"Sure." I replied, letting a smile slip, seeing my boyfriend's mouth all dirty with ice cream.

"What's funny?"

"Nothing, you're just…" I cleaned him with my thumb. "All dirty." He smiled back at me as I licked my finger after. "Anyway, what do you want to show me?"

"Come with me." The pink-haired boy stood up and gave me his hand so I could do the same. We walked to the middle of the square, stopping right in front of the statue.

"What?" I asked after a few seconds of waiting pink head to say something. "The statue? I was able to see it from the bench."

"No, not the statue." He giggled. "What's under it."

"Oh." I looked down, realizing there were roses surrounding the pillar, and a bronze plaque with something written in it. I bent down so I could read it. It said; _Lisanna Strauss / 1992 – 2000_. "Who is Lisanna?"

"She was a friend." Natsu bent down too. "My best-friend, actually." My boyfriend put his hand on my shoulder, making me look back at him. "She died when we were eight. Pneumonia. It was a really scarring experience." He said those words aiming his green eyes directly at mine.

"Wow, Natsu…" I searched for the words to say, after hearing that story. "I'm sorry…"

"You know when I tell you you're the first guy I fell in love with? Well, she was the first person I think I ever loved. Not like the kind of love we have. It was pure, innocent, shared by two kids, playing around in the grass…" My eyes kept aiming at Natsu and his pink locks while he told me that story, as I thought to myself how much he'd been through already, in such a young age. "Are you okay? I'm not scaring you with that story, am I?"

"What? No, not at all." I tried to make him calm down with my words. "I mean, I get why you're sharing all of this with me. Is so I can understand you better, isn't it?" That saying made pink head open a huge smile.

"Yeah, totally. He squeezed my hand, still smiling, looking straight into my eyes. "Anyway, after she died, the town decided to honor her, by cultivating roses around the statue. She really liked roses…"

"Natsu?" A familiar voice interrupted him, coming from behind us. We both turned our heads around to see who it was.

"Mirajane!" My boyfriend shouted, seeing that white-haired girl, who coursed pre-med in the same university we attended, on her foot in front of us, wearing a black dress, while I stayed confused, seeing her there. "How are you?" We both stood up in the same time, as the other boy went to her for a greeting hug.

"And Gray…" The woman went to me for a hug.

"Hi, Mirajane. I'm confused…" I waited to say, until she let me go. "What are you doing here?" The girl smiled in response.

"Mira used to live here, just like me." My boyfriend replied, making me turn around to him, once more. "Are you here to visit Lisana's memorial?"

"Yes. I come here every morning, whenever I'm in town…" Mirajane approached the memorial, closer, and got on her knees, depositing an orange tulip by the plaque with Lisanna's name. Then she whispered some words, almost inaudible; "Good rest, little sister. We've been missing you."

My eyes popped with the realization that the girl Natsu was talking about to me, minutes before, happened to be Mirajane's, the kind girl with white hair that hanged with Erza more than often, sister.

The woman stayed in that position for a while, with her eyes closed and her hands holding each other, on her lap, like she was enjoying a meditating moment, by herself. Me and Natsu stayed there, stood, one in each side of her, quietly, in what was a truly awkward moment for us, trying not to make any noise to not disturb the grieving sister, while we exchanged embarrassed looks, smiling at one another, at the same time, finding a bit of humor in the moment's uncomfortableness, while finishing to eat our ice creams.

"Well…" Mirajane finally said, standing up and cleaning her dress with her hand. "What are you boys going to do today?"

"I'm just showing Gray around town…"

"That's pretty much the plan…" I completed Natsu's sentence.

"Well, would you like to have lunch with me and Elfman? He is cooking…"

"Sure."

"Wait, that Elfman guy, from college, is also your brother?" I asked, remembering that tall, brawny man who helped us frame Laxus back with the stealing statues episode.

"Yes, he is." The girl said, as we walked towards her house, and my boyfriend giggled from her other side. Thinking about it, I never knew how he and Mirajane's brother knew each other, back when he helped us. Now it was all coming together.

We walked in silence, following Mirajane's steps. The girl looked like the female lead out of a Tim Burton film. Her skin was pale, and her hair long and white, in direct contrast with her dress, black, just like her shoes. And besides, she was so kind and quiet, which made her the perfect lead to a gothic movie.

"Elfman! We're here!" The girl shouted, announcing her arrival, as we entered through the door. "I brought visitors!"

"Mira…" The tall, muscular guy appeared by the living room, surprised by seeing me and my boyfriend there with her sister. "Natsu!" With a smile, he grabbed pink head's hand for a handshake. "And you're Gray, right?"

"Hi, Elfman." I shook his hand too.

"Anyway, I am almost finishing with the cooking. Make yourself at home." The man smiled, his nice side in direct contrast with his muscular physique.

"I should go wash my hands, they are sticky after all that ice cream." And so, Natsu left the living room, Mirajane did too, making me all alone.

Their living room had a dinner table by its right side, and a couch, pointing towards the television on the other side, alongside with a book shelf that covered all of its left wall. And a purple fuzzy rug covered the entire floor.

I walked towards the book shelf. Soon, a picture of Natsu got my attention. He was a little kid, probably six or seven, before he dyed his hair. He was smiling, proving his smile had been charming from the beginning. And holding arms with his kid, blond-haired self, was a little girl. She had short, white hair, and was also smiling.

"They were the best of friends." A sudden voice came from behind me. I turned around, seeing Mirajane there, smiling at the picture.

"So, this is Lisanna?"

"Yes…" The girl replied in a sorrow voice. "She was the joy of this house, you know? She was always the one trying to make everyone feel better, when things got rough…" Her tone became very melancholic, as the girl looked down with a sad expression. Not knowing exactly what to say, I just put my hand on the woman's shoulder, trying to make her feel better. She looked up to me, with a small smile.

"You also give me this sort of… vibe. Like you are always there when someone needs to feel better…" Her smile grew, turning into a smirk.

"Well, I wasn't always like that…" She grabbed my arm, and walked with me towards the left end of the book shelf. "This was me, twelve years ago." I gagged with a picture of the ever-so-nice Mirajane wearing punk clothing, and with an arrogant expression on. I tried to phrase some words, but couldn't, making the girl laugh with my shock. "Lisanna made us better people… When we lost her, me and Elfman decided to change. To become the version of ourselves that our little sister would like us to be…" The white-haired woman's voice weakened with those last words, and I lied my head on her shoulder, if just to make her feel less alone.

"What about your parents?" I asked, after a while, when she was feeling better, already. "If you don't mind me asking…" I added, feeling that could be received as inconvenient.

"It's okay." Mirajane came back to smiling. She started to walk with me to another point of the bookshelf, picking up a picture frame from the highest shelf. "This are our parents." In the picture, there was a couple, a woman that resembled Mira a lot, holding arms with a tall guy, both of them had white hair, and were standing in the middle of a Savannah. "My mother is a photographer, and my father is an anthropologist. They work for National Geographic…"

"Wow, that's awesome!" I interrupted her, amazed by her parents' job.

"Yeah, well…" The tone of her voice made it obvious she didn't think so as well. "We were raised by our grandmother, but she wasn't in perfect health, which made me the second in command, having to take control of everything more than often…" I looked at the girl's face as she spoke those words with sorrow. "Until she died, three years ago, and I was officially in charge…" She looked down once again, trying to stay strong while telling her story.

"Wow, Mirajane…" I let go of her arm and grabbed her hand, making she look at me. "You're so amazing, and strong…" The girl giggled a little when I spoke those words. "No, I'm serious. I wouldn't be able to do half of what you did, and I know a lot of people wouldn't either… You're an inspiration…" She laughed when I said that, making me laugh too.

"Stop…" Mira blushed, and looked down, before aiming her eyes directly towards mine, once more. "Thank you." We both smiled at one another, staying in silence for a while.

"Okay, guys, the food is ready!" Elfman's excited voice arriving in the living room broke the comforting silence between me and his sister, while we both turned our heads to him. "Is everything okay?" The man asked, weirded by our behavior. Natsu was right behind him, also looking at us.

"Yes." Mirajane said after a few seconds, taking a deep breath and letting go of my hand. We both went towards the table, while Elfman deposited the large bowl of pasta in the middle of it. He and his sister sat at one side, and me and my boyfriend sat on another. "Before we start, I would like to say a few words." The white-haired woman said.

"She normally does that before every meal…" Her brother added.

"Dear God, thank you for blessing us with this food. We trust you with our beloved Lisanna and grandma Mari up there, in heaven. Amen."

"Amen." We all repeated after her, even though me and Natsu said it a split second later, since we were not used to praying before the meal.

"Okay, dig in everyone." Mirajane said, allowing us to serve ourselves.

"Isn't it cool that we're three kids from a random country town, and somehow we managed to enter the best university in the country?" Elfman said, with his mouth full.

"I know man, that's awesome!" Natsu agreed.

"We're awesome!" The white-haired man added.

"What about you, Gray? Is there someone that got into Todai besides you, from where you came from?" Mira asked.

"Hum, I don't think so… At least not from my age range…"

"Well, maybe our school here is a good school…" She concluded.

"It is, but that doesn't take the merit away from us. Especially you, Mira, you are freakishly smart!" The girl smiled with that complement from her brother.

"He's right, Mirajane, I mean, you're a pre-med student, c'mon!" She proceeded to blush when my boyfriend said that, smiling and looking down. "Anyway, I wonder how are things in Dragon High now, that we graduated…"

"I'm sure Principal Murakami doesn't have half as much problem in there, now that you're not there anymore…" Elfman teased.

"Oh, c'mon, it wasn't like that…"

"Natsu, you had to attend his office at least once a week!" I smiled with the knowledge that my boyfriend was a troublemaker in high school, not that I was surprised by it.

"Fine! What about Mrs. Masako? Is she still hot?" Mirajane gagged with her juice as soon as those words came out of my boyfriend's mouth.

"Are you kidding me? She was my first crush…"

"Do you remember when that weird guy from our class wrote her an erotic poem, but she thought it was for the poetry contest, and read it out loud for the entire class?" The two boys burst into laughter, and even Mira giggled a little, while I had to settle for being the outsider and watch the childhood friends catching up. But I wasn't bothered by it. As a matter of fact, I was enjoying seeing that side of Natsu, that I wasn't accustomed to.

"What was that boy's nickname? Was it firefighter?"

"It was astronaut." Pink head clarified. "That boy appeared to the first day of school with a space helmet for no reason…" He, then, turned to me to explain the joke.

The rest of lunch went like that, three friends catching up and sharing old stories, while I ate with them and laughed with those tales they were sharing. After everything Mirajane and Elfman went true, they still managed to be incredibly nice, and it made my perspective on them change completely.

"Bye guys! See you soon!" Mira said from her door, as we got out of her house.

"Thank you so much, Mira."

"Yes, thanks for everything!"

"Any time! Bye!"

"Bye! Man, they are so nice!" I said, turning over to my boyfriend, after the white-haired woman closed the door.

"I know, right? I miss them. Makes me wonder why we don't hang around much back in Tokyo…"

"Totally, right?" I held hands with him and we continued to walk, in silence. "You know what I just noticed?" I suddenly stopped walking.

"What?" Pink head turned over to me, smiling, as grabbed his other hand and pulled him closer to me.

"You're not afraid to hold my hand in here anymore…" Those words made both our smiles grow.

"And I won't ever be again…" The green-eyed boy said, in a husky voice, coming closer as I felt his breathing hitting on my face, until he pressed his lips against mine, for a tender kiss, right in the middle of the street. It was desert, though.

"What do you want to do now?" I asked, our foreheads touching after the kiss. We had spent almost the entire day at the Strauss' house, and the sun was beginning to set above our heads.

"I had been planning to show you something…" Natsu said, with a smile.

"What is it?" This question made his smile grew more, which made me question what was this thing he wanted to show me.

"Wait and see…" Pink head replied, in a tone of voice that appeared like he was having fun with my doubt.

And so, my boyfriend began to pull me by the hand, as he led the way across the town, to his surprise, while I left myself be pulled, saying nothing, realizing he wasn't going to say anything anyway. Suddenly, he stopped in front a music store.

"What, are you going to sing for me?"

"Don't give me any ideas…" He said, smiling. Natsu opened the door and we both came in. "Miwa? Are you here?" He called.

"Natsu?" A feminine voice said, but there was no one to be found.

"Miwa?" Natsu repeated. "Where are you?"

"Oh, sorry." Suddenly a woman's head appeared on the balcony. "I was just fixing something." She got up. "How are you?! I haven't seen you for ages!"

"I'm great! How are you?" They kissed each other's cheeks. Miwa was a woman in her thirty-somethings. She had a rebel visual, though, her hair was messy, she had a nose ring, and was wearing a dark red leather jacket.

"Oh, same old, same old." Suddenly, she noticed me, and looked at my direction, waiting for an explanation.

"Oh, Miwa, this is Gray…" Natsu stretched his hand to me, so he could pull me closer to the balcony, and so I grabbed. "He is my…" I looked down before he could finish that sentence. I was all for him coming out to his family, but I didn't know how strangers would react about the fact that we were a gay couple. "Boyfriend." I looked immediately at the woman's face when he said that, afraid that she would act with prejudice, especially since she appeared to be closer to Natsu. But, luckily, she opened a smile, and looked at me for a few seconds, before saying anything.

"Very well. And what are you boys in here for?"

"Are those drums in here still? I sort of want to show something to Gray here." Miwa smiled in response.

"They are in the back. Feel free to use them." The woman said, getting down behind the balcony again.

Natsu came back with pushing me by the hand to the back of the store, stopping in front of a set of red drums.

"Okay, so now can you tell me why you led me this set of drums in the back of this store?"

"I don't know…" He said, all mysterious, picking up the drumsticks there were by the floor, by the drums' side. "Maybe because…" Pink head sat behind them, smiling at me. "I know how to play the drums…?"

"You what?! How come you've never said it to me?"

"I was waited for the moment to surprise you!" His smile grew bigger, like he was having fun with the whole thing. "Check it out." My boyfriend started hitting those drums like a real pro, while my jaw dropped, as I watch him go. There was something about seeing him move his head around like a rock star, while he played the instrument, that made Natsu look even more appealing to me. "So, what did you think?" He asked me, all puffy, while trying to get his breath back, after finishing his drum solo.

"I don't even know what to say…" The words came out of my mouth, while I was still in shock with everything I'd just witnessed. "You are amazing, Natsu Dragneel…" His smile grew even bigger, in response, which made him look even hotter, alongside the sweat on his head after playing the drums. It was a shame there wasn't a water bottle near so he could pour it on his head, to refresh himself. That was the one thing that would make my boyfriend even more attractive to me by then.

"Hey, I have an idea! You can play guitar, yes?" I smiled, realizing where he was going with that question. Natsu knew I knew how to play guitar, since I had already played it for him, in a few occasions. "Can you play electric guitar…?" He asked me with a repressed excitement tone.

"Not much… I mean, I did take classes…" I tried to sound modest. "Okay, I do, yeah…"

"Hey, Miwa!" Pink head shouted to the store's owner.

"Yeah?"

"Can we play with one of your guitars?"

"Sure. Play away!" She yelled back.

"No worries, everything here on the back is not for sale anyway, she uses them for teaching. She was the one that taught me how to play the drums…"

I took a glimpse at the guitars in display, ending up choosing a black one. There was an amp by the floor, where I plugged it in. After I did that, I looked back at Natsu, waiting for his next command.

"What are we going to play?"

"You tell me, you're the singer here." He replied.

"Hum… Can it be _In My Life_ , by The Beatles?"

Natsu winked in response, making me smile, raising his drumsticks above his head and hitting them three times.

 _There are places I remember all my life  
Though some have changed  
Some forever, not for better  
Some have gone and some remain_

 _All these places had their moments  
With lovers and friends I still can recall  
Some are dead, and some are living  
In my life, I've loved them all_

By this part of the song, I turned around to Natsu, still playing my guitar. He returned my look, with a silly smile on his face, making one appear on mine as well. His green eyes met my onyx ones and we stayed like that, playing for one another, wanting to make sure the other was really absorbing the song.

 _But of all these friends and lovers  
There is no one compares with you  
And these memories lose their meaning  
When I think of love as something new_

 _Though I know I'll never lose affection  
For people and things that went before  
I know I'll often stop and think about them  
In my life, I'll love you more_

 _Though I know I'll never lose affection  
For people and things that went before  
I know I'll often stop and think about them  
In my life, I'll love you more  
In my life, I'll love you more_

…

"We were really good, don't you think?" Pink head asked me, while we walked down the street, holding hands. It was already night, and the street lighting was on, above our heads.

"Yeah, we really were."

"We should start a band together…"

"Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet, shall we?" I said, making him giggle.

"Whenever I hear you sing, I get completely mesmerized by how good you sound." I smiled with the complement. There was something I wanted to talk to Natsu about, but I wasn't sure how to say it, and I didn't know when to say it, either. Being eaten inside by it, I suddenly stopped walking. "What?" He stopped too, and turned around to me.

"There is something I want to tell you about…" My voice came out weak. He made a sign for me to go ahead. I grabbed his other hand, and swallowed hard, digging out the words. "You know how you said to Miwa, without even blinking that I was your boyfriend?"

"Yeah… Wait, is that a problem?"

"No, not at all. But it might be…" The pink-haired boy made a confused expression towards me.

"Gray, I don't get it. You always wanted me to own our relationship. Why is it suddenly a problem?"

"It's not a problem, usually… It's just that, I know how hard it was for you to get to this point of our relationship, that you can proudly stand with me in front of your family, and go around telling people about our relationship…"

"Exactly. So…"

"It's just that, this is your hometown, it's not Tokyo, this people know you since you were a little boy… It's kind of unlikely that every single one of these people will be as ok with you dating a boy as Miwa or your father, don't you think?"

"Yeah, so…" He insisted, smiling as I tried to continue to explain myself.

"I'm just worried about how you might feel, okay? You might act like that now…"

"Gray." Pink head interrupted me, making me look straight into his eyes, as he smiled. "I don't care. I really don't." He insisted, after I gave him a doubting look. "If it was my family, yes. But they are cool with it, so to hell with the rest of the town. I'm not very liked around here anyway…"

"Yeah, Elfman told me about that time you pranked the entire basketball team, bursting their tires…" We both laughed.

"Exactly. So, fuck what these guys have to say. I love you, and I'm not afraid to show it." He said, looking directly at my eyes, making me blush. "You hear this world?" The pink-haired guy yelled, looking up at the starry sky. "I'm Natsu Dragneel and I'm in love with Gray Fullbuster!"

"Oh my god, stop…" I whispered at him, blushing.

"It's true tough." He faced back at me. "I love you."

We both smiled at one another's direction, our eyes meeting, for a few seconds, until, we got drawn to one another like a magnet, for a kiss. A rough, wet kiss, right in the middle of the street. As our tongues fought for control, stopping for split seconds only to recover the minimum air necessary so we could continue to stay attached to one another. Suddenly, Natsu pulled me even closer by my butt, I could feel his boner from under the boy's pants, and he moved his body back and forth from mine, trying to get our bodies as glued together as possible.

"Natsu…" I separated our lips, in an impulse, immediately regretting it. "We are in the middle of the street…" I said, amongst heavy breaths, seeing his red lips and hungry eyes aimed at my direction.

Forgetting completely what my point was, I gave into his lips once lips once more, putting my tongue inside his throat, while his hands grabbed my right cheek, tightly. I lifted my right leg up, putting it around his waist. Now I could very clearly feel his boner, and he could feel mine, pulsing from under my jeans. And we stayed making out in broad streetlight. At least there was no one on the street.

We both separated our faces once more, our hairs completely messy from rubbing our bodies against one another. Mad in lust, I took a long glimpse at his whole body, driven to just tare all of his clothes apart and just have sex in the middle of the street.

Looking deep into his eyes, we both realized what we had to do, that was, run house, to his room, and finally put out. Grabbing one another's hands, we ran, occasionally stopping to make out some more, when there was no one near.

In the middle of the way, Natsu spotted a statue, and pulled me towards it. We were too horny to wait till we got home anyway. Behind it, I pushed my boyfriend towards the copper figure, and started kissing his neck, while the boy put his hands under my shirt, carving his nails on my back. With every move I made, exploring his skin, my penis pulsed harder from under my jeans.

"Gray…" Pink head said,

"Yeah…?" I replied, in a husky voice.

"Please stop…"

A shockwave went through my body when I heard that. Not understanding what was happening, I stopped what I was doing, realizing that he wasn't holding tight to my back anymore, and looked at my boyfriend's face. He seemed unsettled, looking towards his front, a bit shocked.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, not understanding what was going on.

Natsu unleashed himself from my body, who was still pressed against his, and went towards the front of the statue. I looked to the front and realized what was going on. We were in front of a one-story building, with a sign saying " _Guildart's Judo School_ ".

Getting out of that clueless state, I went towards my boyfriend, still a bit shaken by the sudden interruption of our making out session. He was looking at the statue, shaking, with tears in his eyes. Not knowing what to say, I just stood by his side, and looked at the statue. It was a copper figure of a man with a kimono, he had medium length hair, too.

"Is that…?" I asked.

"They must have built it during the last few months…" Cautiously, I went closer towards my boyfriend and crossed my arm towards his, lying my head on his shoulder, just so he would know I was there with him. "I'm just so stupid…"

"Hey, that's not true…"

"I am. I mean, how did I not realize that we were here… I just…." Before I could say anything, the pink-haired boy unleashed himself from my arm and went towards the building, as I followed him.

"Natsu, wait…" My boyfriend lifted the carpet in front of the door, revealing a key under it.

"It's still here." He stated picking up the spare key and opening the door, entering in that dojo. It was night and the lights were off, so it was really dark in there.

I cautiously followed Natsu, as he took his shoes off before stepping on the mat, and I did the same. He went to the middle of the dojo, seeming completely lost, and I went with him.

"Natsu… Are you okay?"

But he didn't reply. Pink head just turned his head around, aimlessly, seeing all the corners of the place, breathing deeper and deeper, and shaking from head to toe. I stayed back, in shock, seeing the guy I loved having an anxiety attack in first hand. I didn't know how to proceed, I didn't know if I should approach him, and touch him, or if this would make things even worse. I just had to settle for watching him suffer, feeling completely useless.

Suddenly, his legs became too weak for his on weight, and the pink-haired boy fell on his knees. Looking up, he screamed from the top of his lungs, until his voice weakened, and he looked down again, bursting into copious tears.

Seeing that scene, I decided to step in, and ran towards my boyfriend, surrounding him in my arms. Pink head slowly lied his head down on my legs, while I played with his hair, as an attempt to calm him down, while the tears fell from his eyes.

After a while, he calmed down, and his tears gradually stopped falling, but we continued in silence in that dark dojo, and I continued to play with his hair, as a form to show affection.

"I can't do this anymore…" Natsu sighed, finally breaking the silence.

"Do what?"

"Go to judo practices," He explained, getting up and sitting next to me "continue to have that jerk as my sensei, putting on the kimono… It's just too much for me. I can't handle it."

"Well…" I grabbed his hand. "Remember when we were in that Ferris Wheel, and I said that we would find a new major for you?"

"Easier said than done… Don't you think I had already considered all those other options…" He looked away. "I don't see myself doing anything; pre-med, pre-law, psychology, journalism, teaching… None of this is me…"

"You're right." I simply said, and I could feel him be surprised by me agreeing with his self-loathing speech. "None of these is you. But that doesn't mean you haven't found anything…"

"I don't know what you're talking about…" Natsu swallowed hard, looking down. I knew he knew what I was talking about.

"Don't you? Really?" The pink haired boy blushed as I insisted. "What have you been talking about for a month now, non-stop? Hum?"

"No… I can't Gray…" He blushed.

"Why not? You're clearly enjoying to be a part of the play…"

"I'm not a part of the play!" Pink head abruptly interrupted me. "I'm helping build the scenario and the props, that's all…" The green-eyed man, then, proceeded to turn to the side, with his back pointed towards me.

"You know what I think?" I approached him, fitting my head into his shoulder. "That you're afraid…"

"Of course I'm afraid!" He yelled, standing up, looking down, to me. "I mean, what if it's not the right call? I've been helping out the drama club for only a month, how am I supposed to know if that's what I want to do?"

"Oh, so you have been thinking about it…"

"Yes! Yes, I have, okay? But anyway, you know how hard it is to get transferred from one major to another? Especially at a university as important as Todai?" He started to talk, walking back and forth. "I might as well just drop out… Maybe this college life isn't for me, anyway…"

"Hey!" I called him out, standing up, and grabbed him by the arms, making him face deep into my eyes. "Stop that, okay? Stop self-doubting yourself! Yes, Todai is a very important and hard-to-get-in university. But you know what? You got in!"

"Yes… Because of my judo abilities, not because of how smart I was…"

"It doesn't matter!" I roughly interrupted him, holding tighter to his arms. "You got in, because they saw something in you! Okay? Now, stop this self-doubt. Nothing is going to work out in your life if everyone believes in you, except for you…" Natsu blushed and let a small smile slip. "Okay?"

"You're amazing…"

"And so are you…" We both smiled at one another, and he hugged me. And so, we stayed there, hugging it out, in that dark dojo.

…

"Hey, Wendy…" I knocked on the little girl's door, making she turn around to me. "I heard you yelling for Natsu's help. He is taking a shower now. Could I help you?'

"Sure…" She replied a little shy. I went towards my boyfriend's sister, who was kneeling on the floor, next to a bunch of books. "I slammed my hand on the bookshelf too hard, and one of the shelfs got loose…" The girl explained to me.

"Got it."

We stood there in silence for a while, as I fixed the shelf, fitting it in back on its place, and we both started putting the books back. It was a little bit uncomfortable for her and me, being in silence, but that was an attempt I was making to get to know my boyfriend's sister better.

"Hey, Gray…" Wendy called me in a timid voice.

"Yeah?" I turned around to her.

"Is it true that you and Natsu are boyfriend… and boyfriend?" I smiled hearing that question.

"Yes. Yes, we are." My response made the girl smile, looking down. "What do you think about that?"

"That's cool… Can I tell you a secret?" She asked me, when I faced the shelf again.

"Sure. What is it?" I turned to her, seeing the blue-haired girl blushing.

"I like baseball…"

"Really? That's really cool. What is it?" I asked, seeing her blushing harder, looking down.

"It's just that… There isn't a female baseball team on my school."

"Oh, I see… Can't you join somewhere else?"

"It's not that." Wendy looked to the side. "There is a girl on the baseball team in my school. And my friends make fun of her. They say she likes girls…" Suddenly, I got why she was sharing that story with me.

"Hey, Wendy…" I gently turned her head over to me. "If those girls stop being your friend because you start doing something you like, they aren't really your friends… You shouldn't change who you are to make other people happy…"

"Yeah, I know that…"

"So, what are you waiting for? Join the baseball team, silly. Show those boys how it's done…" She laughed, making me smile.

"Thanks, Gray…" The little girl hugged me, surrounding my body with her small arms, making me smile and retribute the hug.

After that, we got back to putting the books back in the shelf, until one of them got my attention. It was a comic book, actually.

"The Dark Knight?" I picked the hard cover copy of the Batman comic. I was a comic book enthusiastic myself. "This is awesome!"

"Yeah, I know."

"Do you like comic books?"

"Yes…" She blushed. "But I never tell anyone… This one is my favorite because beats the hell out of Superman…"

"I know, right?! Batman is my favorite superhero of all time."

"Mine too! I rent comic books from the library, in secret…"

"Have you read The Long Halloween?" She made a negative sign with her head. "Well, you should…"

"Wendy…" A voice interrupted our conversation. We both looked over to the door and Grandine was there. "I think you should be preparing yourself to sleep, don't you?"

"Okay, mom… Good night Gray." She hugged me once again.

"Good night, sweetie." I walked out of the room, and Grandine turned out the lights, closing the door. "She is a really especial girl." I commented to the grey-haired woman.

"She is. And so is Natsu." I smiled, as she grabbed my hands, looking into my eyes. "Are you happy with him?"

"Couldn't be happier!"

"Oh, those Igneel boys, they might be tough sometimes, but when they open up to us, there is nothing quite like it…" We both smiled at one another.

"You're telling me…"

"Welcome to the family, dear…"

"Thanks, Grandine."

"Anyway, good night dear." She kissed my cheeks.

"Good night." I replied, and she went to her room.

…

"So, dad, can you lend me your motorcycle?" Natsu asked, after we finished eating.

"Sure, son."

"I want to take you somewhere. But don't ask. It's a secret." He smiled at me.

"Well if you two will go… there, I suggest you bring some food." Said Grandine.

"Well, we should pack…"

"Pack?" I asked, making pink head face me again, smiling.

Even though I had no idea where we were going, I packed anyway, and we picked the tupperwares my boyfriend's step-mom prepared for us, with the left-overs from lunch.

All set to go, we hopped on Igneel's green motorcycle and Natsu drove away, as I grabbed his waist, feeling the wind blowing against my hair. I rested my chin on his shoulder, while we got out of town, and he entered a dirt road. I had no idea where we were going, but with the pink-haired boy leading the way, I couldn't feel safer.

Finally, he stopped in front of a cabin, made of wood, after getting out of the road, and starting to drive in the woods, until we got there.

"Wow." I said, examining the cabin right in front of my eyes, while getting out of the vehicle.

"Welcome to my family's cabin."

"That's amazing."

"Unfortunately, we won't have much time in here. I want to take you somewhere else."

"Another place?" I turned to him, in surprise, while he shrugged his shoulders, unapologetically.

We entered the house, only so he could pick up a double sleeping bag from a wardrobe, making me even more curious to what was pink head planning. He rolled the sleeping bag and put it inside his backpack, while I stood back, just watching.

"Let's go." He turned to me, smiling with my clueless face.

We got out of the house again, and he led the way to a trail, that went up, towards… somewhere. We didn't talk much during our walk, mainly because my head was only focus on where the hell I was going, so there wasn't much room for conversation. After an hour and a half-ish walk, we climbed everything, and got to the top of a plateau.

"So… We're here." Natsu said, spinning around, with his arms open.

"What? Are we going to camp here?" I tried to join the pieces together.

"Yeah. I mean, it might not look like much now, but wait till night comes. We can lie here, look at the stars…" He approached me, and said, his body almost touching mine. "Didn't you like it?"

"I loved it…" I said, smiling at him.

Pink head got even closer to me, and pressed his lips against mine, putting his tongue inside mine. I pulled his neck closer, trying to deepen the kiss. What was a passionate kiss gradually become a rough one, filled with lust, as we both held on tight to one another's bodies, gluing them together. I continued with my hands on his neck, and he put his on my butt, grabbing my cheeks, tightly. I bit his under lip and pushed it away with my teeth, giving him my hungry eyes.

"Let's do this…" I said, in a weak voice, letting his lip go. He mumbled in agreement.

And so, I left his lips and went to his neck, also grabbing his butt, while he went with his hands to my hair, grabbing it tightly, as an attempt to deepen what I was doing. As I sucked his skin, my penis got thicker inside my pants, and I could feel his was, too. Breathing deeply, he crossed his legs across mine, trying to make me get even closer, as he pressed his body tighter against mine.

In the middle of our fornication, our legs became too weak, and we ended up falling in the grass, but that didn't stop us, as I continued to lick and nibble his neck, and he carved his nails on my back, discounting his pleasure on my skin.

Not stopping what I was doing, my hands went to Natsu's belt, taking it off and tossing it aside, while he did the same with my shirt. Soon all our clothes were gone, and I could focus on playing with my boyfriend's body.

While Natsu grabbed my hair tightly with one hand and continued to scratch my back with the other, I bit and licked his neck. Our hard cocks were out, and completely warm, touching one another.

I went down with my mouth on his neck, until I reached his collar bone, kissing that bony structure, going down on his body, licking his cold, muscular, belly with my warm tongue, while he squirmed from under me, pushing my hair more roughly, breathing even more deeply, his feet kicking the air in frustration.

With a dirty smile, I saw the boy blushing, his cheeks as pink as his hair. I made eye contact with him for a second, licking my lips, seeing him that exposed, and went to his nipple, biting and licking that sensitive piece of flesh.

With his first loud moan, while I played with his nipples, Natsu raised his legs high, and crossed them on my back, moving frenetically while I got down on his abs, passing by his belly button.

Reaching his crotch, I raised my head, facing that raised dick in front of me, drooling in pleasure, ready to bury that cock inside my throat. But before I did that, I looked up to the man's face, who was breathing deeply, anxiously waiting for next move. A hungry smile appeared on my face, seeing my boyfriend there, that exposed, practically begging for me to fuck him. I, too, just wanted to broke into his tight asshole with my cock, but a little child's play never hurt anybody.

"Are you ready for this?" I asked, in a seducing voice, looking deep into the boy's eyes. But he couldn't get himself to respond, just inhaled and exhaled, in ecstasy, trying really hard to keep his neck up, facing me. "I said…" I insisted, and, in a single move, inserted two fingers inside his hole, making him slip out a merciful moan, feeling me entering inside him, while I started to move the fingers slowly inside his ass. "Are you ready for this?!"

"Y… Yes!" He shouted quickly, before all the sounds he could emit were groans and shouts, while I gradually started to move faster inside his pulsing aperture.

With those words, I put my tongue out, ready to explore the dick right in front of my face. And so, I gave his head a long lick, making the boy's body shiver feeling my warm tongue attack his cock, and a drop of pre-cum popped up, while he groaned violently. I went to his abs again, giving them a long lick, spreading his semen through his skin. Then I got back to his erect member, licking every side of it, while his creams echoed through the woods, down from the plateau we were lying.

In a sudden move, I buried Natsu's dick inside my mouth, sucking it back and forth, feeling the salty taste of his member, while my two fingers still played inside his asshole, getting faster and faster. Suddenly I stopped everything all together, seeing pink head writhe from under me, whining, wanting more. With tears in his eyes, he looked at me, who was already looking at the man's direction, waiting for him to face me, with a provocative expression. My mouth was still covering my boyfriend's cock, but the movements stopped, while he kept kicking the air, protesting for me to continue, except he couldn't mouth out any word, still shaken from the pleasure he was filling.

With a victorious smile, seeing the boy grumbling in frustration, I slowly took my mouth out of his penis, making him grumble, feeling my tongue slowly passing by his under vein as I did so. My fingers, however, were still inside his butthole, but they weren't moving anymore. And so, I stretched my torso, looking up on the guy, waiting on him to do what I wanted him to. He kept whining, thinking I would have pity on his pathetic state. In response, I arched my eyebrow.

"Fuck, Gray…" He mumbled. "Please…"

A smirk appeared on my face, hearing those words, and in a sudden move, I grabbed the boy's stiff cock, pressing its head, so he wouldn't cum until I aloud him, and started to move my fist back and forth on it, and, at the same time, I came back with my finger's ministrations on his pulsing aperture, masturbating the boy's in the back and in the front, while he came back with shouting, that echoed between the mountains surrounding us.

I gradually speeded things up, while he moved his body more frenetically, groaning louder and louder. Reaching his climax, Natsu uncrossed his legs from my back and stretched them higher, kicking the air, squirming on the floor, while his hand continued to hold my hair tighter, and the other continued scratching my back.

Finally being released from the man's legs, I took my hand from pink head's cock, but without giving him time to complain, I violently turned him over, getting him lying on his torso. I took my fingers from inside his hole, and slowly moved my face towards his butt. I could feel him shivering in anticipation, as he felt my breath hitting on his behind. In a sudden move, I put my hand under him and grabbing his dick tightly, once more pressing my thumb against its head. After that part was covered, I was about to go to the second part.

And so, I did. First, I slowly licked the man's butt crack, and, suddenly, and violently, I carved my teeth on his fat butt cheeks, making Natsu scream from both pain and pleasure. Soon after, I put my tongue inside his anus, licking it, using my free hand to spread one cheek from another, giving me space to fully appreciate the exploration of my boyfriend's tight area with my tongue, while also carving my nails on his fat cheek.

Natsu's screams became more violent and huskier with every move I did with my mouth inside his aperture. He stretched his upper body, supporting it with his hands pressed against the ground, and yelled, looking up to the sky, like a wolf, howling to the moon.

Slowly, my caress on his ass became gentler, and less violent, as I kissed his butt. I took my mouth out of his bun, getting my breath back.

"I think I ready…" I said, inhaling. Giving a heavy slap on pink head's left cheek, I turned him around again, seeing him completely aimlessly, lying on his back again, breathing deeply, and giving me his lost eyes, preparing himself for what was to come next. Before anything, I asked him a question; "Are you ready for this?" I said, licking my lips, while him, shivering from all the pleasure he was still feeling, shook his head positively, unable to wait anymore.

I smirked again, and, still pressing his dick's head so he wouldn't cum, put mine cock inside his aperture, in a single move, burying it all in, while a heavy scream came out of his lips with the sudden intruder on his tight area. As my pounding became more and more violent, I couldn't keep my own moans inside, my own sounds mixing up with the boy's under me, moving his head frenetically with the pleasure I was proportionating him. He crossed his legs on my back again, punching the grass with his two fists, completely frustrated for not being able to cum, with all the pleasure building up to a climax inside of him.

Seeing Natsu's descend into madness under me, I decided to let his cock go, and stretched my body across his, my hands grabbing his and our fingers crossing. I kept on pounding onto his anus, our faces now were really close to one another. I wasn't lied down, my back was inclined, but my eyes were looking directly towards Natsu's face, who was turned to the left, shouting louder and louder. I turned it to the front, making him face me. I could see he was ready for another provocation, blushing with how desperate he was at the moment. But it wasn't no such thing this time.

"I love you." I said, with some difficulty, looking deep into his green eyes.

"I…" But Natsu couldn't finish. Instead, his words became a loud groan, that just got louder, until his cum exploded from out of his cock, hitting my underbelly. I smiled dirtily at him, passing my fingers through his semen, on my skin, and taking them to my mouth. With a dirty smile, and still looking at him, I licked my fingers, feeling his taste inside my mouth, making him blush.

Now that my boyfriend was all done and finished, I could focus on myself, pounding more and more violently inside his asshole, pressing my nails against his hands, who were still holding mine. I felt _my_ climax building up inside my chest, as I watched Natsu under me, getting himself back together, and smiling at my face, as I was now the one shouting like there was no tomorrow.

When I was about to cum, I took my dick out and stretched myself more, moving my dick towards his face, and so, my semen blasted out of my cock, falling directly into pink's head face, and I saw him giggling a little, feeling the warm fluid hitting his face, and licking his lips, trying to feel how I tasted like.

Feeling every muscle of my body squirm in pain, I fell on my boyfriend's body, my cock hitting his face. I moved down, so we could be face to face. Then I licked a bit of my semen from his nose and kissed him, with the last bit of strength I had, sharing it with him.

"I have some weed; do you want it?" I asked, a few minutes later, after I caught my breath back.

And so, Natsu and I spent the rest of our day like that. Lying on the grass, smoking from a joint, eating the pie Grandine packed for us.

At night, we lied on top of our sleeping bag, holding hands, sharing stories and looking at the stars. Natsu ended up falling sleep sooner than me, his head resting on my shoulder. I looked at him, so peaceful, breathing deeply, and couldn't help but to smile. That was the main picture that came to my head when I thought about that trip. That, and my conversation with Igneel. Moments that were marked on my skin, and tattooed on my heart.

Still holding my boyfriend's hand, I picked my iPod from my pocket, and put my earphones on. A Radiohead song came on. In Rainbows was my favorite album, and there was something about hearing Thom Yorke's high, keening vocals while high, and looking to a starry sky that was very peaceful.

I felt like I left my own body looking at those stars, listening to that song. I felt myself travelling through them, through space. Dancing around, across those luminous points in the dark sky, across the planets. I saw the meteorites and comets passing by me. I landed on the moon. And in a single jump, I got out of there, floating on space again. I hitchhiked on the side of spaceships, I touched the sun, I surfed on Saturn's ring, I rolled around on Mars' ground and sunbathed on Venus.

Until Natsu moved.

I immediately came back to earth, looking at him, still deep asleep. And a smile popped on my lips. He, too, seemed so peaceful. I spent the rest of the song looking at him. Travelling away on his pink locks, on his face's curves, on his thin lips. I didn't even have to think much, since everything I could possibly think about my boyfriend was already being said, by Thom York himself.

 _In the deepest ocean  
The bottom of the sea  
Your eyes  
They turn me  
Why should I stay here?  
Why should I stay?_

 _I'd be crazy not to follow  
Follow where you lead  
Your eyes  
They turn me_


	12. The Jealousy I

Sorry for the slight delay, I sort of got busy with other things. Anyway, from now on, I'll try to update one chapter a week, instead of two. I hope you like it.

…

Things weren't the same after my trip with my friends and boyfriend to his cabin during the Golden Week.

If you remember correctly, that trip was when I told my long overdue apologies to Lucy, you know, about fooling around with her boyfriend for almost two months, before he broke up with her to be with me.

After that, apparently everything was fine. We still weren't the best of friends, but I got her to forgive me, and now we could stand around each other without it being awkward. She was even spending time with our group of friends. I mean, Cana was originally her friend, but still.

Everything was supposed to be fine. I mean, what I did to Lucy used to haunt me for more than a year. When I had trouble sleeping at night, it was because I was picturing her crying with her friends about Natsu not loving her anymore, and how, in her head, it was all her fault, without having the slightest idea of what was actually going on.

So, what was exactly bothering me? The fact that she was now hanging out with my friends, and I had her company now whenever we went out? No, it wasn't that, I mean, it was still weird talking to her alone, but now that my conscience was clean, it was ok to have her in the same room as me, like, for instance, when we are all sitting on campus, under a tree, talking about our plans for the summer.

"Hey, guys, I think I'll go over to that vending machine there. I'm kind of thirsty…" The blond girl said, getting up.

"Oh, I'll go with you. I sort of want to buy a chocolate bar as well." My boyfriend said, and they both walked away, talking, as I stared.

Jackpot. That was the reason. Ever since I came clean with Lucy, she and Natsu started to act best friends all of a sudden. They were constantly talking to each other, laughing, remembering old memories, not engaging the conversation shared between the rest of the group. It was like they were just waiting on me to apologize to her, so that they could be close again.

Fine. I was jealous of their newfound friendship. I know it's inspiring to know that two exes can be friends, especially after one of them cheating. But I was just confused with the whole thing. I mean, pink head never said anything to me that indicated that he missed his ex-girlfriend's company, in fact, that was a subject that we tried to avoid as much as possible. But, all of a sudden, they were all secretive, and giggling. It was bothering me more than I would like to admit.

I tried to sweep those feeling under the carpet, trying to convince myself I was paranoid. I mean, Natsu left Lucy for me, for god's sake, why should she be of any kind of threat for us?

In order for me to stay less bothered with the whole situation, I tried to go out with my boyfriend alone, without our friends, without his blond ex-girlfriend, just us, so I could be reminded about how much he loved me, and how magical our relationship was. Like, one day, when I invited him for lunch, for example;

I was waiting for him at the outside part of the restaurant. The pink-haired boy was late, but I tried not to focus on that. Until, suddenly, I saw him walking towards the location, not actually noticing me. But he wasn't alone, no. And who was with him, you ask? No one other than Lucy Heartfilia, his former girlfriend. And, apparently, they were having a blast, laughing.

I had to settle for watching the two from a distance, trying to keep my distaste in. Until pink head saw me, and waved at my direction. I forced a smile and waved back.

"Hi! I'm so sorry I'm late." He said, giving me a simple kiss on the lips.

"It's my fault, actually." The blonde added. "Hi." She said, while we exchanged kisses in the cheek.

"Hi, Lucy. But, what do you mean, it's your fault?" I tried to ask, without seeming too curious.

"Oh, it's nothing. I saw Lucy outside of a record shop we used to go to, you know…" I could see Natsu was a little unease about talking about his dating days with the girl.

"Yeah… It was sort of our main dating spot." Her, on the other hand, didn't had a problem bringing it up.

"Really?" I forced a nice tone from out of my mouth.

"You know, I'm a sucker for old records…"

"Yeah, anyway, I saw Lucy there, went up to her for a quick chitchat, and we started talking…"

"I'm so sorry I delayed your boyfriend for lunch." The girl said, in a jokingly tone, making another forced smile appear on my lips.

"It's okay…"

"Well, I'll leave you two…" She said, going to Natsu for a goodbye kiss in the cheek, while I discreetly watched them.

"Again, I'm so sorry…"

"It's okay." I interrupted him, roughly, while we both sat down, and I stared at the pink-haired boy in front of me.

"Have you ordered yet?... Hum, is everything okay?" The boy questioned me, noticing my deep stare.

"Yeah." I said, after a few seconds, when I woke up from my distracted stare. "Yeah, no, everything is fine."

"Okay…" He answered, unconvinced. "Anyway, shall we order?"

"Sure." I smiled again, and we both opened up the menus in front of us, while my thoughts were still focused on my boyfriend and his relationship with his ex. "Let me ask you a question." I said, after a few seconds, trying to build up the courage to finally do it, taking a month-old weight from off my shoulders.

"Of course." Pink head replied, with his face still covered with the menu, making me put it down, so I could look at his green eyes while asking said question. I grabbed his hand from across the table, and took a deep breath before questioning him.

"Your friendship with Lucy… When exactly did it start?"

"Well…" Now, he was the one taking a deep breath before answering. "If you must know, after our trip to the cabin… She came looking for me in my dorm. She told me about your little conversation…" Those words, made me blush, which made his squeeze my hand, in support. "How come you never told me about that?"

"How come you never told me you knew about that?" I asked back, with a smile, raising my eyebrow, which made Natsu giggle.

"Fair enough… Anyway, she told me that she would like to bury the hatchet between us, and I said I liked that. We had an honest, emotion-filled conversation, I apologized for everything, and that was pretty much it." He explained to me, even though that didn't justify how they became best-friends all of a sudden. I sketched a shy smile, trying to act supportive, while I took my eyes off of him. "That doesn't bother you, does it?" Natsu asked all of a sudden, making me look back at him, swallowing dry. "My relationship with Lucy?"

"What? No!" Those words came off as not convincible as possible. "No, of course not!"

"Oh, good." We shared a true smile, for once, until, as I was about to go back to my menu, and pink head continued to talk. "Because, you know, it's good to have Lucy as a friend. I mean, looking back at it, that was what our relationship truly was, you know? And now, we can finally have that without all of the obligations of a relationship. It's like when we first met in Spain, before we started dating, it was good to just hang out with her, and talk. She is funny, and she gets me…"

Soon enough, my brain unplugged itself, so I wouldn't hear Natsu's hour-long speech about how good it was to had finally found a friend in his ex-girlfriend. All I focused on was his mouth moving, without any sound coming to my ears, and his pretty face in front of me, while a forced smile once again appeared on my lips, as I pretended to be interested, and I silently prayed to finish that lunch in a civil manner.

…

"Oh, Gray, you're here, cool." Loki gasped those words, entering our room.

"Hi, Loki. Is everything okay?" I asked, sitting up on my bed.

"Yeah. Look, I have something to ask you." My roommate said, also sitting on his bed, facing me. "Do you have plans for the summer?"

"Well, I guess I'll be back home most of the time. I was also thinking of doing some sort of trip with Natsu, but we haven't discussed it. Why?"

"I have a proposition for you." He said, making me raise my eyebrow in curiosity. "So, you know Lucy lives in an apartment in the city, right?" I had the urge of rolling my eyes with Loki's girlfriend's name being brought up. "I was thinking of staying with her for the summer, but… She didn't feel like it was appropriate giving our relationship status…"

"Okay, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I just have to ask a question…" I suddenly said, feeling like I couldn't bury those thoughts inside of me, anymore. "Are you sensing something weird between you and Lucy lately?"

"No… Why?" The orange-haired boy questioned me, weirded out by my sudden interrogation.

"I don't know… Don't you feel like she is kind of distant? Maybe spending too much time with other people?" I went over to his bed, sitting by his side.

"Okay, I have no idea where this is coming from…"

"Well, I mean, she was so quick to reject your idea of you two living together, if only for the summer… That is kind of rough…"

"Yeah, I thought so at first, but, I mean, she has got a point. We've been dating for only two months…" Even I had to give it to the blonde on that case. "It's just that… I don't know. When I'm with her I don't think straight, I just want to grab any opportunity for us to stay closer… I think I love her, you know?" The boy said those words looking deeply into my eyes, making them pop with that revelation.

"You what?!" I shouted in an impulse. "I mean… Are you sure?" I tried to calm myself down. It was just that, I cared too much about my friend to see him getting hurt. And if my suspicions were true, he _would_ get hurt. And so would I…

"I am. I mean… I think I am. Boy, I never said that out loud before…" I couldn't help but smile seeing the foolish expression on Loki's face. If he was actually certain about what he was feeling, then he had certainly come a long way. I stood a good few seconds looking at my roommate's face, wondering about how proud I was of what he had accomplished, until I fell back on my senses.

"But, I mean, are you _really_ sure?" I put my hand on his shoulder, making the boy look at me, ending his daydreams. "Because, love is a really strong feeling, you know… You could get really hurt…"

"Okay, I'm not sure what is going on here…" He said, freeing his shoulder. "But I have an idea that it has more to do with you than with me." My roommate looked straight into my eyes, making the back of my neck chill. "What is going on?" He asked and I stood there for a few seconds, not saying anything, but the ginger man continued to press me, aiming his eyes at mine, until I spilled.

"Okay, fine." I looked down, before telling my friend what I was feeling. "I'm getting these… weird vibes… between Lucy and Natsu…"

"Weird vibes? What do you mean?" Loki asked, making me swallow dry, before facing him again.

"I don't know man. Don't you feel the same? I mean, haven't you noticed that they are spending too much time together lately?"

"Yeah… But they are friends, man. Wait…" Now, he was the one putting his hand on my shoulder and looking me deep in the eye again. "You're not jealous of Natsu with Lucy, are you?" The orange-haired boy asked like it was the most ridiculous thing, making me blush. "Wait, you are?!"

"Yes!" I forced that word from out of my throat, getting up. "Yes, ok! And, maybe you might think it is ridiculous, but… I don't know… After my historic with Natsu… And my historic with Lucy…"

"Gray…" Loki called my name, also getting up, and walked towards me, so he could look at my eyes again. "There is no need to be jealous man! Even I have more reasons than you. I mean, Natsu cheated on Lucy, to be with _you!_ You're together for more than a year now, and you guys are completely in love with each other! He wouldn't get back with his ex-girlfriend he dumped for you!" As he spoke, I blushed harder and harder, realizing his reasoning was right, and, even though, I couldn't get that feeling completely out of my head.

"Yeah… You are right… It's just…" I sighed. "I don't know… I just sense that something isn't right…"

"Well, then you got to shake it off. Lucy keeps telling me how glad she is to have sorted things out with you. And how glad she is to be able to rebuild a friendship with Natsu. I swear, those are the only things she has mentioned about you two. She doesn't have any desire to get Natsu back or anything…"

"Okay, fine… I guess I might be a little paranoid…" I said, sitting back on my bed, as my friend sat next to me.

"Okay, now that everything is sorted out… Let's get back to my proposition." He said, making me realize I had completely forgotten about that. I turned my head to him, before he explained what said proposition was. "As I explained, I'm not going to be staying with Lucy for the summer. _But_ , she told me there was an apartment for rent in the same building. And… There is an extra room so I thought of inviting you." The guy said the last sentence super quickly out of nervousness, as I looked blankly at him, trying to process what he had said.

"Wait… Are you asking me to share an apartment with you?"

"Yeah. I mean, it's just for the summer. Then, we'll back to this old dorm… So… What do you say?" I sat there, in silence, still aimlessly looking at the boy's sitting in front of me face, making him getting more and more nervous as I tried to think of ways to react.

"Oh wow, man… That is…" I paused trying to think of a word to express myself, but also for dramatic effect. "Awesome!" Loki sighed in relief with that word from me.

"I know, right?! I mean we've been already sharing this dump for two years, so the next level of our friendship was obviously to share a place with more dignity!"

"Have you been there? What did you think?"

"Yeah, so, Lucy will take me to visit in the weekend, and you can come too. If it's like her apartment, it will not be very big. It's like only a living room with two bedrooms, no hallways, there is an open kitchen…"

"And what is the price range?" I asked, excitedly.

"Oh, it's not very expensive, I'll take it. I mean, it is in Bunkyo, so there are a lot of students living there, so the prices can't be very high… Anyway, we can ask when we get there."

"We are going to share an apartment, man!" I shouted, enthusiastically, as we greeted one another with a high-five.

"I know!" We stayed looking at one another's faces with happy expressions, until Loki said one more thing that cracked me. "Oh, and the beds are big so you can bring Natsu if you want. As long as you keep your business in closed doors, if you know what I mean…"

"Oh…" That was the one thing that could come out of my mouth on that moment.

My excitement soon faded away, as the images of my pink-haired boyfriend popped into my head. I had completely forgotten about him by then, and so, had no idea to where he would fit in that whole moving in with Loki scenario.

I wasn't sure if I was ready to move in with him, especially with how I was feeling towards him by then, especially with his relationship with Lucy and everything. And the fact that I had forgotten about him could be a sign that maybe I wasn't ready for us to move in together just yet. But, remembering how bummed out I was when the plan was still to go back to my home town during vacation, and to be a part of him, maybe _that_ was a sign that the best I could do was to give it a try. I mean, I really loved him, I had no doubt about that, and we were dating for almost two years, it's not an unreasonable time on the relationship to move in with the person.

Soon, my head became filled with doubts, as one side of it tried to convince me I wasn't ready for that kind of commitment yet, and the other tried to convince me that it was the right thing to do.

"Gray." Loki's voice echoed inside my brain, making me wake up from my own thoughts, as I shook my head, trying to recompose myself, looking back at the boy's face, sitting in front of me. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah." I promptly said, forcing a smile. "I just remembered something that I'm going to have to deal with, later."

And with those words, I tried to kick out all Natsu's thoughts from out of my head, and me and my friend went back to discussing the apartment. But the pink haired boy was still there, no matter how hard I wanted to ignore his presence inside of my brain.

…

That same weekend we went to see said apartment. Lucy took us there. Her building was located in Hongo district, only five minutes away from the university. It was an old, white, building with not much to it. There were no elevators, but there were only four floors, so it wasn't much of a loss.

The blond girl's apartment was on the third floor, and the one me and Loki would be visiting was on the fourth one. The real estate agent was already there, waiting for us. She was a ginger woman.

There wasn't much to show us around. It was just like Loki described it, the living room took almost the whole thing, although the bedrooms were still spacious enough to be comfortable. The double beds, who came with the place, took half the room, but there was still room for some other objects. The open kitchen was rather small, but we could manage. For me, it was the perfect place to fulfill my fantasy of sharing an apartment in a big city with my best-friend.

"So, what do you guys think?" The woman showing us around asked. As soon as she did, we exchanged looks, and it was answered; we would take it.

After that, we simply signed the papers, and it was done. We could move in by the end of the month, beginning of our summer break.

"Can you believe that by July this thing is going to be ours?"

"Can _you_ believe that we are grown-up enough to share an apartment?" I asked back at my ginger friend, as we stood in the middle of the living room.

"I know, right? I had no idea we had that in us." Silence took over the room, after those exchanged words, as I looked around, trying to get used to the fact that I was standing in my first real apartment. Soon, Loki sighed, before asking me what I knew he was going to ask one time or another. "Hey. Are you sure about Natsu though?"

I took a deep breath before turning around to my friend, for that conversation. During the past week, after strong arguing with my own self, inside my head, I had decided that it was indeed too soon for us to move in together, although a corner of my own brain argued otherwise. Even though I was torn about that situation, most of me seemed to agree that I would prefer if me and the pink-haired boy lived our everyday lives living under different roofs.

And so, ever since I told the news to Loki, he pretended to be ok with the whole thing, but his face was screaming that he thought the situation was strange, at least. All the boy did, so far, was to ask if we were okay, which we were, but I knew sooner or later he was going to insist in the subject.

"Yes." I simply said, turning to him after a few seconds. "Yes, I am. There is no need to look at me with that face, there is nothing to it." I referred to the ginger's expression in front of me "I'm not ready to go to the next level with Natsu yet, that doesn't mean something is wrong between us, right?"

"Well, if you have to ask, then I'm not sure you are completely sure yourself." He answered, with a victorious smirk, making me want to clench my fists and roll my eyes.

"Trust me, Loki, I know what I'm doing. Do you know how many couples split up because they moved in too fast?"

"No, do you?" Again, a smarty response from the boy made me want to clench my fists in frustration.

"Many!" I said, in a loud voice.

"I just don't understand, Gray. I mean you seem so in love with another, so comfortable with one another…"

"It's not your job to understand, okay?!" I replied in a hot-tempered voice, immediately regretting how I sounded.

"Okay… I'm sorry… Let me just ask you one last thing, and _please_ don't crucify me for doing it." He added, making me regret even more the way I talked before. "When will you tell him about all this?"

That question made me shiver. I had completely forgotten about that detail. I had decided to keep the apartment thing a secret from my boyfriend, at least till it wasn't all sorted out yet. I asked Loki to do the same, and never thought of this again, being more focused on whether or not I was doing the right thing.

"Today." I spilled the first answer that came into my head, trying to act like it was all planned out. "Yeah. I had decided to tell him as soon as we arranged everything…" I backed up my first answer, giving it more conviction, as Loki raised his eyebrow at me, seeing right through my act. "That is… If Lucy hasn't told him already…"

"Can you stop? I asked her to keep it a secret, and she said she would. Although…" He added, already making me shiver in anticipation. "She, too, wasn't getting why of all of this…"

"Well, thank god it isn't her relationship to get…" I passive-aggressively replied, also regretting it as soon as I did.

"Oh, c'mon. What is your problem with Lucy?"

"What are you talking about?" I pathetically tried to pretend I had no idea where he was referring to. "I had nothing against Lucy, okay? In fact, I was the one who reached out to her to make things right."

"All I know is that ever since she and Natsu started to hang out, whenever her name pops up between us, you make a face, or a remark…"

"I do not!" I said, overdramatically, which made Loki giggle, which made me giggle, until we both started laughing. "Okay, the way I said it was funny. But I still don't know what you're talking about." I said, after catching my breath.

"Okay, fine." The guy said, with his eyebrow held high, and a bit of a smirk on his lips. "Anyway… Let's go, cowboy. You have a boyfriend to talk to." My friend spoke, putting his hand around my shoulder, as we walked out of our future apartment.

We went to Lucy, who was waiting for us, down on her apartment, and walked towards the campus. Normally, it would bother me to be a third wheel for Loki and his girlfriend, as they walked, cuddling and whispering on each other's ears.

Part of me told myself the blond girl acted extra-secretive with the boy when I was around, if only to annoy me. But then I tried to stay calm and remind myself not to villainize the woman. I hated the way her friendship with my boyfriend was getting to me, and I hated to admit that I was actually starting to hate her for it. It was just so cliché for me to hate my S.O.'s ex. I didn't want to hold grudges against the girl, especially after I finally cleared things up to her, but it was becoming so hard not to.

Part of me started to think that, if the whole Lucy situation wasn't happening, maybe I wouldn't have a problem with Natsu moving in with me. And those thoughts haunted me even more when I realized how silly it all was, and if I was really having reservations about going the next level with my boyfriend for something so silly, even if unconsciously, maybe it was the case to force that upon me.

Other times I thought that, if I was having reservations, that went to show that maybe me and Natsu weren't as in love as I initially thought, which scared me more than anything ever could. I knew that wasn't the case. When I pictured the pink-haired boy, I was filled with a sensation I never felt before, not with anyone else. My chest was filled with warmth, my heart started to beat faster, my legs got weaker. But then, the other side of my head promptly remembered me that, for a month or so, I thought things were different with Natsu. We were spending less time together, because he was spending more time with… _Lucy_. Remembering the girls name was enough to make my body shiver in rage and clench my teeth.

And so, a dilemma took over my head; was the last month with my boyfriend enough to cancel out all the other months we had spent together? Was the last month of any indication that I was stopping to love him? The quicker answer to pop up on my brain was "no", but, as the time passed, the more I started to doubt that answer, even if I wasn't going to admit said doubt even to myself.

All I knew was, the more the time passed, the more I became bothered with the whole situation, and I had to reach out to Natsu as fast as possible. And so, as soon as I reached the campus, I went to knock on his dorm's door.

"Hey." Natsu opened the door suddenly, getting me out of my own head. My eyes met his green irises, and my heart felt warm again. Not noticing it, a smile popped up on my lips, just by seeing the pink-haired boy in front of me, and he smiled back. Seeing his warm, welcoming smile, all the doubts I had simply faded away; I still loved Natsu, and I knew it was mutual, and so it was going to be since the end of time. "Come in."

I walked into the room. The smell was enough to make me pass out. I was lucky enough to never run into my boyfriend's roommate when going to visit him, but his part of the dorm was always so messy, like a garbage truck had dropped all of its baggage on the man's bed, and so, the rest of room was infected with a toxic smell.

"I want to talk to you…" I said, still grossed out by the dorm's smell and mess.

"Yeah, I figured that…" He ironically replied, as I sat on his bed and he sat next to me. "What is it?" Those words echoed on my head, making me chicken out from my whole plan of telling him what was going on for the past week. "Gray." Pink head said, putting his hand on my arm. His touch made me break free from my state of shock and fear of coming clean. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." I replied, assertively, shaking my head, so I could come back to present time, and get out of my world of thoughts and doubts. "Yeah, I am."

"Okay…" The pink-haired boy said, unsure. "So, what do you want to tell me?" He asked, making me get back to the real world completely, shaking my body again, to awaken the courage and determination I had before seeing the boy.

"Right." I turned over to him, immediately meeting his green eyes, which shook me again, but I took a deep breath, seeing that that subject couldn't wait any longer. Waking up my courage, I grabbed my boyfriend's two hands, and looked deep into his eyes, before spilling. "Loki asked me to move in with him." I said, as fast as I could, not bearing to keep that heavy secret inside of my chest any longer.

"Okay…" Natsu replied, after a few seconds, trying to process the news I so quickly threw up at him. "So… You are going to live with Loki…?" He asked, still not getting it.

"Yeah. But just for the summer." I explained. "We are renting this apartment at Bunkyo. But we have separate bedrooms." I added the last piece information, clumsily.

"Yeah… I got that." He smirked, seeing how desperate I was during that conversation, making me blush. "So…" The pink-haired boy squeezed my hands tighter, leaning towards me with a smile, making me even more uncomfortable with the situation. "Are you here to ask me to move in with you guys?"

"No!" I shouted immediately after those feared words came from out of his mouth, not even realizing how desperate I sounded for finally getting to that point of the conversation.

"No…?" He repeated, confused and a bit weirded out for my sudden attitude change.

"I'm sorry…" I blushed. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

"It's okay…" Pink-head assured me, still confused by the whole thing, as I pressed his hands harder, trying to dig out the courage to say what I needed to.

"It's just that…" I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, ready to spill out what was actually happening. There was no way I could let the weight upon my shoulders anymore. "You know I love you right?" I said, automatically, getting angry with myself for not saying what I actually planned to say.

"Yeah… Of course I know…" My boyfriend answered, suspiciously. Then his eyes popped, like he realized something awful, making my heart pop from out of my chest. "Wait. Please don't tell me you cheated on me with Loki…" He said, with a grossed-out expression on his face.

"What? No!" I said, also shocked with that possibility, while we both looked into one another's eyes, for a split second, before bursting into laughter seeing what an absurd turn our talk took. "No. What I actually want to talk to you about…" I said, again taking a deep breath, getting my grip together, and looking at the boy's eyes in front of me once more. "Is that, I don't want to move in with me because…" I paused, getting weak once more, taking another breath to continue the sentence. "Because… I don't think I'm ready to take that step with you just yet." I finally said, visibly shaking, but finally finding relief by taking that secret from out of my chest. Natsu stood in silent in front of me, for a while, but I was too shaken to confront him, and just stood there, waiting on him to say something.

"Oh…" Pink head finally said after a while. Now he was the one walking into a trance of his own. He, then, turned to the front, and stopped facing me, while my heart started to pound, waiting for a more direct response.

"Are you okay?" I said, touching his shoulder.

"Yeah." The boy automatically replied, in a monotonous tone of voice, making me doubt his response. "No, yeah. Yeah, I am." He said, more affirmatively, shaking his whole body and getting up. "That is your prerogative, right?" He turned to me, making me smile. "I'm not sure what I would do if I were in your place, but if _you_ think we should wait before compromising in that way, I have to respect it, right?" He said, giving me an understanding smile, which warmed my heart and all the shaking that took over my body disappeared.

"Thank you." I smiled, and got up, getting close to him, and grabbing his hands.

In that moment, there was no doubt. I still loved him, and I would continue to love him for many days to come.

"I'm just bummed out that I'm going to have to go back to the Village, while you'll stay here. I mean, another summer apart…"

"Well, that takes us to another topic of conversation." I said, smiling, and joining our foreheads. "How about we plan a trip, just the two of us?" He looked directly towards my eyes, as I said that. After a few seconds before showcasing any reaction, the pink-haired boy finally smiled.

"I would love that."

…

"Can you eat straight? You are sort of spilling tomato sauce all over me." Levy asked her boyfriend, sitting beside her.

"What are you talking about?" Gajeel replied, with the corners of his mouth all dirty with red sauce.

I was sitting in a table in the dinner hall, with my friends. Erza was quietly reading a book by my right, while the said couple was sitting in front of me, with Cana by their side, holding a chicken leg with her hand and devouring it.

"Here." The blue-haired girl grabbed the trail from her boyfriend, to show him how to twirl the pasta with the fork.

"What are you doing? I was eating!" The man protested trying to get his trail back.

"I'm showing you how to eat like a person, not an animal!"

"Give me that!"

The couple started to fight about the trail, pushing it back and forth towards each other's side. Suddenly, the plate fell and a chunk of pasta flew towards Erza's book, tomato sauce splashing against the pages.

A huge silence took over the table, as everyone stopped what we were doing and looked over to the ginger, cautiously, fearing for our integrities. Slowly, she turned her head up, with her forehead vein popping, right next to a little tomato sauce who had hit her skin a little, while she tried, in vain, to stay calm, while everyone else knew a storm was about to go down.

"Hey, everyone!" A shout interrupted our fear state, as Lucy popped by our table, slamming her hands on it, excitedly. "What is going on…?" The blonde asked, realizing something strange was going on. Seeing a way out of that situation, I swallowed my grudges I had against the girl, and replied to her.

"Nothing. What about you? Why are you so excited?" I said, with a forced enthusiasm, trying to get the attention from off of Erza's break down. Seeing what I was doing, Levy went along with it.

"Yes! Tell us the news!" The small woman said, getting out of her seat and going to her mentor, with a napkin, to clean her from the tomato sauce and her book, too.

"Well…" She said, still a bit confused, sitting where Levy was sitting before. But, before she could say what was happening, Natsu appeared by our table.

"Have you told them yet?!" The pink-haired boy asked, excitedly, sitting by the blonde's side, making me swallow dry and raise my eyebrow towards their friendship, who was still bothering me to my core.

"I was about to!" She said, turning to him, as they both giggled towards one another, making me fight the urge to ironize their giggles. "Anyway, guys…" She said, turning back to us, as I rolled my eyes. "The news is…" Natsu started to mimic drumrolls hitting the table, making me clench my fists from under it, annoyed. "Natsu is moving in with me!"

"What?!" I shouted, without even realizing it. When I noticed that said word had been spilled from my mouth, I blushed a little, seeing all the eyes of the table being transferred to me. But I didn't interrupt my angry look, and stood by it, facing my boyfriend with it.

"Well, Gray…" I heard Lucy's voice addressing me, and I could swear that now I was the one with the vein popping, as I looked over to her. "Natsu told me how upset he was with the fact that you were moving in with Loki…"

"Upset?!" I shouted, again not realizing that that was what I was doing.

"No, not upset per se…" Pink head stood up to explain himself for the first time since that discussion erupted. "I was upset, yes, with the fact that I was going to have to go back home, while you would stay here in the city, so Lucy invited me to move in with her for the summer…"

"Oh, did she?" I asked, ironically, looking angrily at the girl, showcasing all the feelings I've been having towards her for the past month or so for the first time, making the blonde blush and look down.

"Okay, we can't have this conversation here…" Natsu said, like the voice of reason, getting up and going towards me on the other side of the table, pushing me by the arm so I could follow him. "What is going on with you?" He finally let me go at the corner of the dining hall and we started to have a discussion in whispers.

"What is going on with me? How about the fact that you suddenly decided to move in with your ex-girlfriend and didn't feel like talking to me about it first?"

"Oh, just like you told me when you decided to move in with Loki?"

"That is different and you know it!"

"Why is it different?!" When that question came out of his mouth, I had to clench my fists really tight to control my anger.

"How about because she is your ex-girlfriend?! And you have been spending so much more time with her than with me, lately?!"

"I knew it!" He said, victorious, pointing his finger towards me. "I knew you were annoyed with my friendship with Lucy!"

"Oh, you knew it? And even so you decided to share all the details of your moving friendship with me whenever you got a chance?"

"I was testing you! I was trying to see how much time it would take for you to admit to me that you were jealous!"

"Oh, how classy!"

"And now I guess I should cut the bullshit too. I wasn't okay with the fact that you decided to move in with Loki without even considering me in your plans!"

"What?" I actually didn't expect that. I was so at peace with the fact that Natsu had understood my reservations about moving in with him at that point, and it made my love for him grow even more, that it was a bit upsetting to know it was an act. "I thought you had understood that I wasn't ready to move in with you just yet..."

"No!" He interrupted me, all of a sudden, making me shiver. "I didn't understand! I had to respect it, of course, but understand? Gray, we've been together for a year and a half, I thought we both were in the same place by now. I love you, Gray, and I would want nothing more than to go the extra mile with you, and, to find out that you don't feel the same… It was heart breaking…" Pink head said, his voice getting weak and tears popping on his eyes, making me feel sorry for him. That was why I was so relieved that he was okay with the whole thing, because I partly expected him to have a reaction like that.

"Natsu…"

"No, Gray, don't." He cut me off. "I don't want to make you feel bad. Like I said, it's your prerogative, I have to respect that." I looked deep into his eyes as he spoke. "And that's why I expect you to do the same. I'm moving in with Lucy for the summer, and that is going to be it."

As I opened my mouth to reply, the pink-haired boy walked away, leaving me partly guilty, watching him go.


	13. July 6th, 2013 - The Jealousy II

After that episode on the cafeteria, things got even worse between me and Natsu. Remember how I complained that my boyfriend was expending way much time with Lucy, whenever we hang out with our friends, and hardly ever had time for me? Well, now we went from hardly straight to _never_.

The last few weeks of school year went by really slowly and they were one of the harder days I've ever had to face. Pink head and I were almost not talking, and whenever we tried to engage in conversation it was just plain awkward and we never knew what to say with one another. There was just so much unsaid baggage between us after that argument that I didn't know how to get back to normal with him.

Lucy, however, was luckier than me. She, now, was spending all the time in the world with Natsu, as I saw them in the distance on campus, talking and laughing, and whenever we gathered with our friends, they were more secretive than ever. It was getting harder and harder not to hate the girl, even if, logically, I knew she had nothing to do with my fight with my boyfriend, emotionally it was rather easy to look at her and pin the blonde as the villain.

Finally, the summer break came, and I was ready to embark in the new phase of my life with my best friend, Loki. And, even if the thought of seeing my boyfriend and his ex-girlfriend living under the same roof made me shiver, and still gave me hope that, living in the same building, sharing apartments with respective halves of the same couples could help him and me grow closer together, again.

I drove me and Loki on my car to our new building, carrying our stuff, which wasn't much. I had pretty much the same amount of things I had when I moved into campus, two years ago. An armchair, which I had tied on top of the vehicle with my roommate's help, a microwave and a minifridge. The ginger boy had far less, only his suitcase with clothes and things like towels and bedsheets.

The apartment came with a stove and a regular size fridge, which, to be honest, was pretty much all we needed for the two months we would stay in there. There was a laundromat down the street which we would use to wash our clothes and that was pretty much it. There was no television, though, so our laptops would have to do.

"We're here…" Loki said to me, putting his arm around my shoulders, as I breathed heavily, from the hard work of having to climb the stairs with all those heavy objects, standing in the middle of the living room.

"Indeed, we are…"

After having settled on our new place, Lucy invited us to go over to her apartment, to have dinner. I rolled my eyes at that thought at first, but then I realized that it was actually something I could use to try to get close to Natsu, again. He was my boyfriend for god's sake, and we were acting like childhood that grew apart and didn't have anything in common anymore. It was killing me. So I went along with it.

Now, Loki had told me at some point that his girlfriend was rich, but I did only get a sense of it when walking inside her humble abode. I mean, she had everything styled. A lot of posters in the walls, too couches, a coffee table, a Persian carpet, two set of shelves, one for tones of books and the other for tones of records. And, on top of that, a huge television coupled to the wall. The difference between her place and ours was uncanny.

As for my plan to get things straight with Natsu during dinner, it didn't work as planned. I couldn't find any topic of conversation to talk with him about, and the ones I proposed never landed, and we ended up doing some awkward small talk like two strangers that ran towards one another in the elevator.

His duo with Lucy, though, was unshakable. They spent the whole night sharing stories and laughing towards inside jokes. Even Loki joined them, which I couldn't help but feel betrayed about, seeing all three of them bonding, as I resorted to eat, remote to their conversation, trying hard not to let a grumpy expression show.

When, finally, that disastrous dinner ended, and the hosts led us towards the door, I was having enough of how things were going between me and my boyfriend.

"So… Bye…" I said, awkwardly, hoping he would jump in and say something.

"Bye…" He replied, also in a contained way. That was when I looked at Loki and Lucy talking by our side, acting like a normal couple, and I realized I couldn't bear to leave things as they were.

"Natsu…"

"Hey…" He said at the exact same time as me, and we both smirked at that. _Finally, some normal interaction._ "You go first." The boy gave me permission, making me clench my fists and take a deep breath, trying to unravel the courage to finally address the elephant in the room.

"Look… I know things have been weird between us, lately…"

"Tell me about it…" He, unceremoniously, added, making we both smile at one another again.

"I don't want to leave things as they are, so… Do you want to go out tomorrow, so we could talk?"

"That sounds great." He smiled again, making me realize how much I had missed his warm, welcoming, smile. "But…" I shivered at that word, while still trying to keep my structure. "I have plans with…"

"It's okay." I interrupted him, roughly, before he had the chance to finish that sentence and ruin our conversation. "How about Monday?"

"I would love that." There it was. That smile again.

…

I enjoyed the next day to walk around the neighborhood by myself, see what was there to do. Also, I was actually looking for a job. My mom sent me some money every month, which part of it I saved, and it was enough to pay my part of the rent. But now that I was getting more independent, it made me want to actually go out and start to live an adult's life, and that also meant working for a living.

"Gray!" Suddenly, I heard someone shouting my name from behind. I looked around, to see a man on a bicycle, waving at me.

"Kei…?" I said towards myself, seeing the boy with whom I used to be on the swimming team with, and walked to him, who was wearing a barista uniform. "Hi, Kei!"

"How are you doing man?" He asked, shaking my hand.

"I'm fine, yeah. I just moved in to this neighborhood. Do you live around here?"

"Oh no. I just work here. At a cafe."

"Really?" That was when an idea popped in my mind. "Hey, I was actually looking for a job. Do you know if…"

"Oh my god, yes!" The man shouted, in excitement, before giving me the chance to finish my sentence. "We are hiring and you should totally work there!" I smirked seeing how enthusiastic he was about the whole thing. Just like I remembered him, overly nice and excited about things. "Come on I'll get you there!" Before I got to reply, however, another idea came into my mind.

"You know what? I can't today. Can you give me the address? I promise I'll pop by tomorrow."

"Oh, okay…" He said, a little disappointed, while writing the address down on a piece of paper.

If everything worked out, I would be able to get a job and save my relationship at the same time.

…

I was waiting outside, on the street, for my boyfriend to get out of the building. Nervousness taking over me, imagining what would go down on our first real time alone ever since the fight in the dining hall. I was waiting for fifteen minutes already, and the time it was taking for Natsu to come down was not helping me get more calm.

"Finally…" I said, seeing the pink-haired boy pop up from out of the edifice.

"Sorry."

"No, it's okay…" I assured him, before an awkward silence could install itself between us following his apology. It didn't seem to help much, seeing that after those words came out of my mouth, said silence appeared anyway, and we both just stared at one another's faces, with forced smiles. The awkwardness that had been guided our relationship for the last couple of days was still there. "Look…"

"Gray…" Again, we opened our mouths at the same time, making us giggle and blush.

"You can go."

"Okay." We exchanged smiles again. I knew it was silly, but by then I was counting any friendly exchange between us as a victory. "I, hum… I just wanted to say…" Pink head blushed as he tried to figured out how to phrase that sentence, looking down. "I just wanted to apologize, mostly." He finally gathered the courage to speak up, mostly, looking up and deep into my eyes, which made my whole-body shiver.

"Yeah… I guess I have to do same…" I said, also blushing, looking at the boy's direction.

"No. It's on me. I mean, for as much as I love Lucy as a friend, I was actually really angry with you when she asked me to move in with her for the summer. And I knew how you felt about her, so I was partly motivated by making you angry when I accepted it…"

"But the thing is, I know is ridiculous to be jealous of your friendship with her… It's just that I can't help it… I mean, I don't think I've never seen you so in sync with anyone else in the way you are with her…" I stopped for a second before finishing that sentence. "That is, besides me…" Suddenly, I felt the man's cold hands grabbing mine, which made me immediately look at his direction, blushing.

"But you know that I would never leave you, right? Especially for Lucy?"

"I know…" I replied, and we exchanged smiles. "I just feel so silly…"

"No, I'm the one that feels silly…" He pressed my hands. "I shouldn't be mad at you. It's just that, I felt we were ready, you know? If it was me, I would take the next step without a single doubt. And to know that you are not in the same page as me… It just hurt…" His voice weakened, and Natsu look down, making my heart pound in guilt, inside my chest. "But, I have to respect your decision, you know? If you are not ready, you are not ready… And I know that you don't love me any less because of it, it's just that… My heart doesn't…" My boyfriend looked directly at my eyes again as he finished the sentence, making my whole-body shiver.

"You know…" I swallowed hard, before confessing those words to him. "I didn't understand either." I said, making Natsu's expression turn into a confused one. "I mean, if someone would ask me, hypothetically, if I was ready to move in with you, I would say yes at the blink of an eye. So, when the time came and I had to actually make that decision, I felt torn to realize that I wasn't as ready as I initially thought." The pink-haired boy sketched a sympathetic smile as I confessed those things to him, in guilt. "And…" I pressed his hands harder, to find the strength to finish my confession. "If I'm completely honest, I'm not sure how much jealousy of your relationship with Lucy contributed to my final decision, even if unconsciously… I just felt we we're growing apart, and…"

"It's okay." The boy suddenly interrupted me, making my whole-body tremble, and I looked at his direction again, surprised. "You don't have to explain yourself… And…" He squeezed my hands once more, pulling them closer to his body, and deepened his eyes stare at mine. "If it makes any difference whatsoever, Lucy and Loki will be gone for three weeks…"

"They are? But Loki didn't tell me anything…"

"Which means…" He called my attention back to him, pressing my hands harder. "We will be alone, with only one another's company in the city, which might make you change your mind on where you stand with us living together… Or not, no pressure…" He finished talking and we both had smiles opening up in our lips by then.

"I missed you…" I whispered, right before he pulled me closer by the hands and pressed his lips against mine, into an affectionate kiss. Oh god, how I missed the feeling of his tongue exploring my throat.

"I missed you too…" He gasped, after we ran out of air and interrupted the caress between our mouths, with our foreheads touching and looking deep into one another's eyes. "Where are we going today?" Natsu asked, after we fully recovered our breaths and separated our bodies.

"Oh, yeah." I said, remembering my plans for the day. "There is a place I want to take you, but it's a surprise." I replied, linking our arms and started to walk, guiding the pink-haired boy beside me through the streets.

"A surprise, huh?" We walked for ten minutes, till we reached our destination, and I entered it without further explanations. "Wait, a coffee house? That is your idea of a great surprise?" Pink head joked.

"Gray! You came!" A sudden yell interrupted us, as we both looked over to the balcony. Kei was behind it, seeming legitimately happy to see me.

"Wait, you know this person?" Natsu unceremoniously asked. I shivered a bit, but I couldn't feel ashamed. I missed his clueless ways.

"Yes, and you do, too." I whispered in his ear, trying to disguise that that was what I was doing. "Hey, Kei!" I replied to my former teammate's greeting and walked to him. "You remember Natsu, right?"

"Oh, sure. Nice to see you." The dark blond stretched his arm to my boyfriend so they could shake hands.

"Oh, hi…" He said, in a suspicious way. "And you are…" The green-eyed guy asked, in a confused tone, making me roll my eyes at his lack of disguising skills.

"This is Kei. He was from my swimming team, remember?"

"Oh, right." Natsu said, finally recognizing the person shaking his hand, as he shook the other's man with more conviction now that he knew who he was.

"Anyway, Gray…" Kei's attention went back to me, freeing his hand. "I talked to my manager. She said you'd have to be interviewed, but I know you'll get it. This place has been needing some extra people ever since Hinata left…"

"Wait, you applied for a job here?" Pink head interrupted us, but I ignored it.

"Oh, great. I brought my resume. When can…"

"Oh, now. I'll go call her." The boy said, going away.

"Wait, so you applied for a job here?" Natsu asked again, pulling my arm.

"Yes." I turned over to him. "And…" I grabbed the boy's hand, before finishing what I had to say, and looked deep into his green eyes. "I would like if you applied, too."

"What?!"

"Yeah… I thought that, since we're not living together after all, and we have been grown apart lately, we could use our time here to, you know, get closer together…" I paused for a few seconds, waiting for a reaction to form in his face that wasn't shock, but nothing came. "What do you say?" I insisted.

"Well… I mean, my father is bugging me to find a job…" He started to reflect on my proposal as I squeezed his hands tightly. "And I could really use the money, too…"

"So… You'll take it?" I asked, and the boy stood in silence for a while, in front of me. After a few seconds, he opened his smile.

"I would love to." Before I could reply, however, a voice interrupted us.

"Here he is." Kei reappeared, followed by a woman. "This is Gray."

"Hi!" I turned to the girl, who I assumed was the manager, standing in front of me. She seemed unimpressed by me, with a resting face, looking deep into my direction, which made me shiver a little. Her entire appearance was a bit intimidating, as she was pulling off sort of a gothic look, with her hair tips dyed in purple, a nose ring in the septum and a tattoo going through her neck.

"Are you the one who are applying for the job?" She asked, in an uninterested tone.

"Actually, we both are." I replied, squeezing Natsu's hand. That was when pink head came to my ear and whispered;

"But I don't have a resume here…"

"Don't worry, I brought it for you…" I whispered back.

"You did?" He asked, confused.

"Yeah, I mean, I had to make some things up, but I think it's pretty solid." We both looked deep into one another's eyes as I said that, smirking, but our joy was soon evaporated as we looked over to the manager with her piercing look aimed directly towards my face.

"So… Did in you bring your resumes?"

"Yes." I said, and took my backpack off of my back, taking a folder from it and giving it to the girl, who took it, still unimpressed, and leafed through it, making me tremble as I saw her do it. Finally, she finished her inspection and closed the folder, taking a deep breath and looking at our direction.

"So… Did we get the job?" Natsu bluntly asked, making me sigh and step on his foot. "Ouch!"

"I'm going to be honest here…" She said, taking a breath, I was already fearing for the worst. "I honestly… Don't care." The woman finally said, making me and my boyfriend exchange looks of confusion. "I couldn't care less about who we hire if that means I'll get to do less work. And, quite honestly, it's been overwhelming in here lately with only me and happy face having to do everything…"

"That's me." Kei jumped in, reminding me he was still there, seeing everything from behind his boss.

"Wait, I don't get it." Pink head interrupted, again, making me roll my eyes. "So, we did get the job…?" I poked him with my elbow this time, calling him out for his cluelessness. "Ouch! What?"

"Look, if I was able to become manager, I guess everyone has a shot. Plus, it says here that you two are Todai students…?"

"They are!" My former teammate jumped in, again.

"Well, if that's the case, I guess you are hired. I mean, I don't get why Todai students would want to go here, but…"

"I'm a Todai student…" Kei remarked, a little hurt for being neglected like that.

"So, we did get the job. Why didn't you say so already…" Natsu grumbled, making me smirk and shake my head with his helplessness.

"Anyway, I guess you can start right now…"

"Wow. Thank you so much!" I said with enthusiasm, stretching my hand so the girl could shake it. Instead, she just stared at it, and then back at me, with a disgusted expression, which made me took it back.

"Yeah, thank you…" Pink head also said, in a lower voice, as the girl went off through the door behind the counter.

"So…" Kei walked towards us, smiling. "Welcome to your new job, gentleman."

…

The following days went pretty well. Me and Natsu were able to recover our connection that we've lost for the last couple of weeks. It was fun working at the cafe with him. Wednesday and Friday nights were karaoke night, and it was rather entertaining watching a couple of strangers embarrass themselves. Plus, we would wake up early to walk to work together and left late, walking home together. In another moment of our relationship that could be suffocating and too much, but now we were actually needing that moment together, besides, that was actually work to do, so we wouldn't just sit around with just one another's company for hours.

Kei was actually pretty cool to hang around, too. He was funny, and legitimately sweet, always enthusiastic about the smallest things and wanting to help people out. The manager, Amanda, was still kind of intimidating, but at least she wasn't bossy, and spent almost the entire time smoking outside than actually doing something, so I didn't have to worry with running into her and jumping scared.

There was quite a set of characters who attended the Mrs. Lucy-Anne Cafe. Mrs. Hiromi was a sixty-year-old widow who had more than ten dogs in her house. She was always the first customer of the day, and ordered always the same thing; a honey cappuccino. Ryota was a beggar who stopped by every couple of days for a muffin and a cup of coffee. And, of course, there were the school girls. Natsu used to mock me saying they had a crush on me, and Kei would join him, saying that they were coming in way more often ever since I've got hired. What if they would always speak to me, and blush while doing it, and I'd caught them staring at me with their side eye from their tables? That didn't mean anything, right?

For a whole week, everything went fine. Then, Lucy happened. I had almost forgot how it felt to not be jealous of her with Natsu. Being working with him all day, I didn't have to get annoyed when I tried to ask him out only to find out he already had plans with her or to dwell in the fact that they were living together. I didn't need to, because we were spending most of our days together anyway.

Unfortunately, Friday came. And with it, Lucy farewell dinner. The main existence of said dinner annoyed me in the first place. It wasn't like she was going off to some other country for a year. She was going away with Loki for three weeks, then he would come back and she would go to Europe and only come back in September. I mean, it was only a summer vacation, for god sake, was that really deserving of a farewell dinner?

Anyway, I got there, to the restaurant, with Natsu. The table was between two sofas. The first inch of my problem started exactly at my arrival. Lucy asked Natsu to seat beside her, and so he did. But the sofa could only fit four people, and he was the fourth, with Cana, Loki and Lucy already sitting there. I expected him to decline, but the pink-haired boy just sat there, and saw him do it, without knowing what to do, standing in the middle of the restaurant.

"Hey, Gray. Sit here." Levy's voice took me out of my trance, as I looked over to her, realizing hers and Gajeel's presence for the first time. I didn't want to make a scene so I just did what the girl said.

I was visibly hurt. I knew it was silly, but I couldn't shake that off and held that grudge till the end of dinner. And he knew. He could see it in my face, while giving me a sympathetic look, on the other side. I couldn't believe that, after everything we talked and discussed he would still do something like that.

Lucy, on the other hand, didn't seem to care, at all. She knew, it was impossible for her not to know, not while she was talking to Natsu while he faced me, looking guilty, and she constantly would grab his hand for him to look at her direction. It was impossible for me not to get angry with the girl, not while she seemed to want me to be. The way she tried, desperately, to get Natsu's attention, to get his attention off of me.

The pink-haired boy tried to make things better, searching for my foot under the table, with his foot. But I took it away. I didn't want him playing with my feet, as if that was going to make it okay, as I watched him engage in conversation with the one person he knew was going to make me jealous.

My eyes went for Loki, as I saw, again, Lucy and Natsu numb themselves from every inch of conversation that was going on around them, just talking to each other, laughing. How could he be okay with that? Didn't he feel left-out, sitting by his girlfriend side, while she talked, exclusively, with another man, ignoring him? But he seemed too focused on his macaroni and cheese to care. How was this possible? Did he unconsciously turned himself off, so he wouldn't notice what was going on? Or was it a conscious decision? I didn't know. All I knew was that I was too bummed out to eat the piece of meat on my plate.

"So, Gray, is it true that you and Natsu got a job as waiters?" Levy came to me, again. She was a good friend, realizing what was going on, and trying to make me stay present at the table, and not to dwell away on unpleasant thoughts.

"What?" I turned to her, pretending I didn't pay attention to her question.

"I heard that you and Natsu started to work at a restaurant or something. Is that right, Natsu?" I swallowed hard as she said his name.

"It's a coffee house, actually." Pink head immediately replied, turning to us. He wasn't as inserted in his own little private conversation with his friend that he wasn't listening to what the rest was saying, after all.

"I worked at a coffee house, once." Cana replied, as I turned to the girl at the point of the other sofa, for the first time. "Turned out the owner was using it as a part of a money laundering scheme." She said like it was the most common thing. The brunette girl had a ton of stories just like that. She came from a poor background, and had seen and done way more than the rest of us could possibly imagine.

"Was that before or after you worked as a stripper?" Gajeel bluntly asked, making his girlfriend poke him with her elbow. "Ouch! What? She did, didn't she?"

"It was a part time job, while I worked at the club. And thank god for that, otherwise I would be screwed. But then, one of the girls got married to a rich guy who has a chain of local bars, she invited all of us to go work there. Except for Mildred, no one likes Mildred."

"Man! How come you never invited us to go to one of these bars?" Loki asked.

"I don't know. How come none of you ever ask about my life?" She shot back at him, in a mood. "Can we please get some drinks in here?"

"Cana. I thought you were going to go slow on drinks, ever since the festival, remember?" Levy pointed out. During our school festival, Cana went heavy on the alcoholic beverages, heavier than usual, even for her standards, and ended up in the hospital. Ever since, she made a promise to Levy she was going to stop drinking as much, and the blue-haired girl was making sure she was staying true to that statement.

"Yeah, but I could drink on weekends. Guess what, it's the weekend."

"It's Friday." The small woman snapped back.

"Anyway…" Hearing Natsu's voice as he tried to change the subject made my body tremble. "Yes, me and Gray have been working together." I felt his touch in my hand all of a sudden, as I was still facing the other side, and swallowed hard, trying to hide my discomfort with him acting so friendly, while knowing I was mad, and faced the boy, who was smiling at me, like it was nothing wrong. "It's been fun, right?" My body shivered again with that question. I was getting even angrier with him acting like a fool.

"Yes." I swallowed hard again, before answering, and forced a smile, not trying to make a scene. He stayed touching my hand, looking deep into my eyes, and smiling, as I forced myself to do the same. We stayed like that for a few seconds, as I got distracted by the man's pink iris, and forgot where I was for a while, just focusing on him, and not assimilating anything else that was going on around us. Until…

"Here. This is the thing I was talking about." Hearing Lucy's voice made me get back to reality, like I fell back on the sofa I was sitting in and gradually realized what was happening and where I was. The blonde's voice also me shudder one more time, and reminded myself I was mad at my boyfriend, which I had forgotten while I got lost inside his eyes.

She grabbed the pink-haired boy's cheek, softly, and turned his face over to her, like demanding his attention. Showing him something on her cellphone, Lucy gave me her side eye for a split second, like in defiance. Suddenly, everything made sense, and all the doubts and suspicions materialized. Looking at me, in that way, even if for just a measly moment, it was like she was challenging me, provoking me, telling me she was winning Natsu's attention.

My jaw dropped, as those thoughts started popping on my head, and I, once again, left my own body, forgetting where I was or what I was doing, and was transported to inside my own head, analyzing my own thoughts. It was clear to me now, clearer than it'd ever been. Lucy had a crush on my boyfriend, like I always suspected she had. And she was discreetly fighting against me, to see who would get him, after all.

There was no way I could enjoy that dinner after all of this. I just sat there, with only my body present, as my mind was still debating inside of my head whether all those things I once suspected were real or not, analyzing all the moments, all the conversations, all the stares.

Finally, it was over. Before going home, however, I stopped by the bathroom, to wash my hands and my face, after all those torturous moments I had to face in just a few hours in that dinner. As I was washing my hands, however, I realized it wasn't over just yet, seeing Natsu getting out of the stall behind me. My eyes popped seeing his reflection in the mirror, which the boy noticed and tried to disguise the discomfort of the situation with a smile.

"Hi." He said, in an awkward way.

"Hi." I replied, and got my attention back to the sink. Suddenly, I felt the pink-haired boy pressing his body against my back, and looked up again. His eyes met my reflection's, and he smiled, dirtily, with his chin resting on my shoulder, making it possible for me to feel his breathing hitting my neck. "What are you doing?"

"I've missed you." He said, in a husky voice, before starting to kiss my neck.

"How can you have missed me? We've been working together all week." I said, not showcasing any reaction to him sucking on my neck and pressing his body tighter against mine. "Can you just… Stop?"

"Come on. You know you want to do this…" Pink head said amongst his kissing and sucking, and passed his hand through my crotch, grabbing my dick area on my pants, which made me swallow hard. It was difficult to act unaffected with him tempting me like that.

"Come on. They are waiting on us…" I tried to pull him away, squirming my body and pressing my hands hard against the sink balcony, trying to remain sane. "Stop." He grabbed my penis harder outside of my pants. "No, Natsu… Just… Stop!" I shouted, poking him with my elbow, for him to move back.

"Ouch! What was that for?!" He said, finally letting me go, as I turned around to face him.

"I ask you! What was _that_ for?!"

"I was just trying to get a moment with my boyfriend…"

"Well, _maybe_ your boyfriend doesn't want to get a moment with you right now! And _maybe_ it's time for you to realize that _no means no_!" Those words echoed through the bathroom, making me realize I was yelling them louder than I intended.

"I'm…" Natsu tried to say something, looking down at the floor, after a few seconds of dead silence. "I'm sorry." He finally said, and we entered another awkward few seconds of complete silence. Water came running down my cheeks, making me realize I was crying. The pink-haired boy looked up, and our eyes met, his were also wet, and an expression of true guilt stamped his face. "I'm so sorry… I was out of line…"

"It's… It's okay…" I said, in a weak voice, with certain difficulty.

"I just…" He continued to talk, in an attempt to explain himself, which I rather he didn't, and we just let it die. "I'm just… kind of frustrated…"

"What?!" I couldn't keep that in.

"Which I know doesn't justify it…" He continued the explanation, not realizing that my yell before wasn't about that.

"You're frustrated? _You_ are frustrated?" I shouted once more, seeing an expression of complete confusion emerge into his face. "Hell, if you are frustrated, imagine how I must feel, being forced to see my boyfriend right in front of my eyes being all flirtatious and secretive with a girl who definitely has a crush on him…"

"What? You're still hung up on Lucy?"

"Oh, please. Don't do all that. You know exactly what I'm talking about, otherwise why were you giving me those condescending looks all dinner? Otherwise why would you try to force me into having sex, if not because you were being guilty?"

"What?! Look, I'll apologize for that behavior as much as it's needed, but it had nothing to do with me feeling guilty. I just... I just wasn't thinking…"

"Were you thinking when you decided to sit next to Lucy, even though it wouldn't fit me, and I just ended up standing there, like a fool, in the middle of this stupid restaurant…"

"I can't believe you're upset about where I sat, how very high school of you…"

"Yeah, well, nice way of gaslighting me."

"What?!"

"Yeah, that's right. Because you knew exactly what was going on in there, don't you think I noticed, in the way you were looking at me, trying to play footsies, grabbing my hand, all ways of compensating for outright leaving me for Lucy, after we just recovered from a fight caused by her."

"First of all, the fight was not caused by her, it was caused by your nonsense jealousy, which I thought it would be over by now, but I guess not…" As he said those words, I couldn't help but to roll me my eyes. "Yeah, that's right. And second, I won't apologize for sitting next to my friend!"

"Oh please, like she is just a friend! The girl clearly got crush on you!"

"Oh, please. I won't get into this fight again. Come look for me when you're over it!"

Those words made me want to take off my shoe and throw it at the guy. There were still so many things I wanted to yell at him, to rub on his face, but all the words got tangled on my throat as I watched him leave, and I couldn't put any of them out. Instead, I had to settle for punching the balcony, with angry tears running through my face.

…

"Ok, dad. I have to hang up now. Good luck tomorrow. I know, I wish I was there too. Ok dad, bye. Send Grandine a kiss. Bye, love you." Natsu talked on the phone while entering my apartment.

"How's your dad?" I asked, going to kitchen to poor myself some orange juice, while the pink-haired boy sat down on one of the two kitchen balcony's stool's Loki had bought.

"He is fine. His friends from the circus came into town. He is going to perform with them tomorrow, and he's kind of bummed out because I'm usually there in the summer to see them. I am, too, but, you know, what you gonna do?"

"Are you sure that's safe? I mean with his leg and all…" I turned around to him, after serving myself.

"You sound like Grandine talking." He joked. "She is always worried when they come to town. But he is going to be fine, I mean he does this since before I was born…" After he finished that sentence, we entered a state of silence, looking into one another's eyes, from different sides of the balcony. "Why did you ask me for?" Pink head bluntly asked after a few more seconds, making me shiver with his bluntness. _Okay, no more small talk, then._ I finished drinking my orange juice, slowly, still looking deep into the boy's eyes, before answering.

"I just… didn't want to leave things as they were last night."

"Yeah, me neither…"

"Don't get me wrong, you _were_ out of line." I emphasized, fixating on his green eyes. "But you are my boyfriend, and I love you." My tone got softer, as I walked closer to the balcony and grabbed Natsu's hand.

"I love you too." He said, and his smile warmed my heart, as usual. "No more fighting, okay? And I promise never to pull that shit from last night ever again."

"And I promise to try to get a hold of my jealousy of Lucy." _Even though I know she has a crush on you_ , I completed with my mind. "Anyway…" I quickly decided to change subjects, not wanting to mention the blond girl ever again, especially now that she was nowhere to be found, and I wasn't going to be the one to unbury her ghost to haunt my relationship. "I got a whole day planned out for us." I said, walking towards the living room and sitting by the boy's side, in the free stool.

"You do?" He said in between his smile.

"You can bet your ass I do." I replied, resting my hand on the guy's thigh and leaning towards him for a kiss.

…

I put my key inside the lock with my lips still pressing on the pink haired boy fleshy ones. He was pressing his body hard against the door, as I pressed mine against him, trying to figure out a way to get into the apartment without interrupting our make out session. Natsu's hand was grabbing tight to my groin area from outside of my pants, as my member was already stiff, ready for our shenanigans.

I was finally able to open the door and we stumbled, entering inside, hearing the noise of the door slamming against the wall. With a suggestive smile, I interrupted our kiss, and went to close it, locking it as well. Now it was just us, trapped inside that apartment, in between those walls, ready to do whatever we dammed pleased with one another's bodies. It had been too long.

I walked back to him with thirst, his cheeks and lips were all red. I pressed my mouth against his as hard as I could, my tongue exploring his throat. And, like that, we walked to my bedroom. After we reached the bed, I pushed him to it. Natsu felt, and looked over to me, licking his lips, so slowly and so provocatively that I just wanted to tear all his clothes right there and then. But I had a whole night planned.

I went to him, crawling on the bed, smiling with lust, as he tried to run away from me, getting back, until he reached the headboard.

"Nowhere to run now." I said, smiling, until I reached him and put my hand under his shirt, running his belly with my fingers, feeling his cold skin. I carved my nails on his hard, muscular stomach, and leaned my neck towards him, kissing the boy again.

Natsu grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me closer, pressing the kiss tighter. Still kissing, I kneeled on the bed and got my hand out from under his shirt, tearing open his flannel. Full of lust I interrupted the caress between our mouths just so I could peak at his body, with my mouth drooling. I loved how Natsu wore those tight shirts that emphasized his muscles sometimes. And I loved even more the fact that he began to wear it more often after he found out I liked it. After a few seconds, I grabbed the shirt from under it and took it off of the green-eyed man. He went for my pants, so he could do the same with them.

"Uh-huh." I stopped him, putting my hand on top of his, as he looked at me, confused. "I've got plans." I explained with a straight face.

"You do?" The boy asked, with a dirty smile, to which I just smiled in response.

I picked up his both hands that were grabbing my belt and spread them, grabbing both his wrists harshly and lying the boy on the bed. His head met the pillow as I looked up on him, ready to get down to business, whilst his look said he was too. Before I did that, however, I got up and pulled his pants out, by the bottom. His shoes and socks were already off, as were mine.

Then, I got on all fours again, with his body under of me. My mouth met his for one more kiss, while I grabbed his wrists, roughly, again, so he wouldn't move his arms, and took my tongue away, biting his under lip brutally with my teeth and pulling it away, giving him a dominant look, as he watched, getting the message that he was all mine from now on, and that his body would be my playground.

I freed his lip and went up to his neck, sucking it, biting it, licking it, while my hands were still pressed on his wrists, not letting them go, trapping him at my disposal. I got down on his neck, living my mark on where I passed. Soft moans were already being slipped by the boy's mouths, as he fixated the roof, letting me rediscover all the corners of his body, after the weeks we spent apart.

At a certain point, I let one of his wrists go and slowly slid my hand towards his skin, discreetly entering on his underwear, running through his pubes while the boy was already cautiously breathing in anticipation for what was about to come. Without a warning, I suddenly grabbed his dick with my fist, making the boy slip out a loud groan, as I felt a shockwave running through the body behind me as it felt my rough could touch on its hard, stiff, cock.

I stopped what I was doing for a second to look at the man's face as he moaned, watering my mouth and letting a dirty smile slip. I started to manipulate the hard member with my hand to see Natsu moan once again, making my smile grow as he did just that. And he kept letting those sexy noises come out from his mouth as I speeded up my caress. Eventually, the boy realized my mouth had stopped working on the rest of his body, and looked towards me, blushing seeing my naughty smile grow even more as he finally realized I was watching him.

After he gave me the attention I was craving for, I could come back to working on his upper body, going straight to his nipple, biting it roughly, making the boy emit a scream from both pain and pleasure. I, soon, licked that same nipple, to ease the pain, and kept on sucking it, before going down on his body, my hand still working on under his underwear.

I sucked, and bit, and licked all over his belly on my way down, giving special attention to his bellybutton, until I reached his underwear. My increasing masturbation of the boy's cock was already reaching full speed as I did, making him squirm on the bed, as I pressed my thumb hard on the head so he wouldn't cum. I stopped my mouth ministrations on his body and looked at him, as I kept increasing the speed of my hand, making pink head turn from one side and another, moaning louder and louder, kicking the air, and stretch his neck as much as he could, until, suddenly, I stopped.

A sadistic smile formed on my face, as I saw the gasping boy slowly come to that realization, and cool down.

"Easy there, cowboy." I provoked, as the desperate man looked down on me, craving for more.

Slowly, waiting at him to get calmer, I went down with my face on his underwear, letting a few drops of my drool hit his skin, and carved my teeth on his underwear, which already had a big sticky stain on it, and slowly took it off, feeling his pubes running through my face, and seeing his big penis popping out, finally free. I went like this all the way down, even when I had to pass the underwear through his feet to take it off, I still did it with my mouth, going to one side and then another.

After all that work, I stood up, enjoying the view. Seeing all his muscles, his abs, his thick thighs, his big, brute feet, and, more importantly, his massive, thick, pink-headed dick, all staring at me. I got distracted by such hotness for a few seconds, in display in front of me, begging me to use it.

"So what? Are you gonna finally fuck me?" Natsu shot at me, trying to seem in control, when I knew all he wanted by then was for me to bury my dick inside his ass and pound onto him till next week. Who am I kidding? I, too, wanted just that. But not yet.

"You would like that…" I said, slowly, moving one of my feet to his dick and cautiously stepping on it, making the boy slip a soft groan of pain, while I gave him a dominant look. "Wouldn't you?"

"Wouldn't you…?" He said, through gritted teeth, making me slowly press my foot harder against his member, in response, while he tried hard not to let his pain show.

"So defiant…" I said after a few torturous seconds, for him anyway, and released his cock, turning around, and slowly taking off my clothes, as a way to arouse the man behind me, although nothing could describe how good it felt to set my hard dick free.

Then, I went to my drawer. The first compartment. There they were. The little toys I had bought for my naughty night with my boyfriend. I sat down on the bed, by pink head's feet with two pieces of rope on my hand.

"What are you doing?" I sensed a bit of urgency on his voice.

"Do you trust me?" I turned around and leaned closer to him, putting my hand on the boy's thighs.

"That depends. Are you going to tie me up?"

"That's the plan…" I replied with a grim smile.

"Then, by all means, lead the way…" He answered and I turned around, back to his ankles, to tie them up on the end of the bed. "Who knew you had that in you…" He said, as I walked my way to the other side to tie his other ankle.

After that I got up and went to the drawer again, to pick up another thing. A long time ago, Natsu had proposed to me to do this sort of shenanigans in bed, and I had decided that it was about damn time I listened to the request.

"No way!" The pink-haired boy exclaimed, seeing the pair of handcuffs I had in between my hands. "Did you buy those?!" Without replying, I climbed on the bed and went to his face, sitting on it, letting my testicles hit it, as I handcuffed his hands to the headboard, one handcuff for each wrist. "I love the smell of your balls…" My boyfriend said, sniffing deep.

"You are so talkative…" I whispered onto his ear. "Let's see if you keep that up once you get me going…"

"And _you_ are so full of promises" He snapped back, as I got out of the bed, again. "Let's see if you can actually back it up." As he said that, I picked up a blindfolder from the drawer. The second last thing to be left in there. But I'd save the best for last.

"You say that as if you weren't the one screaming like a top-class whore a few minutes ago only because I was doing the bare minimum." I replied one last time, right before blind-folding him. "Now… What more can I do to you?" As I slowly said that sentence, I picked up Natsu's belt from the floor, wrapped both its tips around my two hands to check the resistance of the material. "Oh, this is good…" I said, intentionally to confuse the tied-up boy's head. "You've not been a very good boyfriend lately, have you?" As I talked, I slowly put my foot on top of his belly, stepping on it. "As a matter of fact, you have been a bad, a very bad boy lately." I pressed my foot harder against his stomach, making a squeak of pain come out of the man's mouth. "And you know what my policy with bad boys is?" I asked, as I unwrapped the belt from around my hands and joined both its tips together, holding it with just one hand. "Answer me!" I yelled, pressing my foot with all I got against the boy's abdomen.

"…I don't know." Natsu replied through gritted teeth. "What?" We stayed in silence for a few seconds, as I smirked, looking at the smoking hot man tied-up on my bed, completely unaware of my full intentions, waiting for me to use its body as I damn pleased.

"I punish them!" _Slam!_ In a single swing, the leather material hit the nightstand beside the bed, with the noise echoing through the walls.

"Oh, fuck yes!" My boyfriend said, with a tone of voice so excited that made me lick my lips.

"You'd like that, huh?" I teased, letting his belly free of the weight of my foot.

Slowly, I walked to the other extremity of the bed, where the boy's feet were tied, and his asshole was pointing up. My heart was overwhelmed with pride whenever I saw his little aperture. It used to be so tight when we first met, and now it was all loosed up, thanks to my dick breaking into it almost every single night for a year. I kneeled down on the mattress slowly moving into the hole direction. A small moan slipped from the man's mouth as I inserted the tip of my dick inside his anus, and more of them popped up whilst I slowly buried the entirety of it inside the aperture, and pounded onto him at a slow pace.

"So, you want to be punished, huh?" My voice was really low and soft. "You want me to beat you up… It's like you know the fuck-up you are, and you want to get disciplined by it, is that right?" I smiled, seeing pink head turning his head back and forth out of the pleasure that was me putting my dick in and out on his ass as calmly as I could, and his breathing was really controlled, tensed, waiting on me to make the first hit. Taking a deep breath, I swung the belt, as it hit against his abs, and a crack could be heard yet.

"Ah!" A guttural shout came out of his mouth from both pleasure and pain. His whole body shivered with the shock, as a smile grew once again on my lips, seeing just how vulnerable he was. I never knew I could be such a sadist.

"I like seeing you like that. All defenseless, at my disposal." I continued to talk in a husky voice, while my slow movements of pounding my dick inside his ass continued. "All tense. Can you trust me? Will I hit you? You know I will, eventually. But when? And do you want me to?" As I put inside of him, I slowly touched his skin with the tip of the leather, feeling his muscles get all tensed, and then get relaxed again as I just tenderly moved the piece of leather around his body. "Can you _really_ trust me? Are you afraid? Are you aroused? I can be really nice, but I can also be…" _Crack._

"Uhhhg" The boy groaned with the sudden touch of the belt.

"Really," _Snap._ "really," _Slam._ "bad." I finished my sentence after three consecutive hits, looking down on Natsu, at the red corners of his skin, that would become bruises in the near future. "The truth is…" I began to say, inserting my penis deeper than ever inside the boy's ass, making him slip a loud groan, as I leaned my body over to him, so I could be able to gently kiss the places marked by the leather on his skin. "you have to trust me, don't you? What else is there to do? You're in my hands now…"

As I finished talking, I deepened my cock inside his anus, hitting his prostrate, making a squeak come out from his lips. Smiling, I slowly distanced myself from in, freeing my hard penis from his loose ass, making the boy groan in disappointment.

"Oh, don't feel bad. I still got a lot planed. For instance…" In a sudden move, I turned the boy around, making him lie on his belly, so I could see his back, making him softly groan by the abruptness. "I want to play with your fat ass."

With those words, I stepped on one of his round cheeks, my mouth watered seeing his perfect trunk staring at me, getting me distracted for a split second.

"Have I ever told you how perfect your ass is?" I asked, making his body get all tense, and his breathing get controlled, confused by my sudden change of speech. I kept it that way for a while, leaving the room in deep silence, as tension built up on the boy, waiting for my next move. Then, a grim smile popped up on my face. "Man… It's almost _too_ perfect." A crack followed those words, as I hit the belt against his fat, chunky ass. "I would love to ruin it. To mark it all over. To leave a bunch of scars all around it. To mark all of your perfectly sculpted body just so everyone knows… _you're mine_." I hit pink head's ass four times after saying that, two in each cheek, who were becoming all red with every touch of the leather. "Damn. Screw that. I want to ruin you. I want to fuck up your body so hard that you won't be able to sit for a month. But then, I guess, if I wanted to do just that, I had to do nothing further than break into your ass with my massive dick…"

Another crack echoed through the room. And another. And another. And all the cracks mixed up with my boyfriend's yells as I proceeded to hit his back, again and again, until I stopped. And I gave the man a few seconds to recover, to get his breathing together, as I watched all the red marks popping up on his behind. He was still tense, waiting on my next move, my next punishment. When, all I did was just turn him around once more. I climbed on top of him this time. Sat on his belly, feeling how warm it was after all those hits. Then, I passed the belt through his back. And with all the strength I was able to pull out, I joined the tips, pulling them, lifting Natsu's torso, so I could be able to whisper really softly into his ear;

"You are mine now, you understand that? This body…" I said, twitching his right nipple, making a soft groan come from between his teeth. "Is under my control. That means I may be naughty, I may be nice. I will make you scream, I will make you squirm, I might hit you, I might bite you, I might kiss you, and suck you. But I _will_ make you beg. I'll give it to you so good, and so dirty, that, when I stop you will be begging for more. But I will only give it to you whenever I want, however I want. You will cum whenever I want you to cum. You can try to fight me but…" I twitched his nipple one more time. "You belong to me now."

"Try me…" The pink-haired boy said, with some difficulty, making a smirk appear into my eyes. I grabbed his hair really tight and pulled it next to me.

"It's like that, huh?" I whispered, defiantly, biting hard on his earlobe, before letting his hair go, and the belt, making the boy's back fall on the mattress. I pulled the leather piece of clothing from under the man's back, being able to hear the sound of it running through his skin, probably burning. "In that case, I hope you got some space in that little asshole of yours, because…" I said, provocatively, going to the top drawer once more, to take out the last toy. "There is a friend who would like to explore it…" I turned it on and put it inside the hole, still pointing up.

"A dildo? Is that all you got?" He shot at me, as I deepened the vibrator inside his ass, until it reached his prostrate, and he couldn't keep his moans to himself.

"Hope you guys have a great time…"

"What? You are not going to leave me in here by myself, are you?" Without replying, I quietly got out of the room, and slowly closed the door, as his shouts could be heard through the entirety of the apartment. "Come back! You can't leave me in here like this! Come back!"

A smile appeared in my lips for a split second, before I felt the weight of my own problem on my shoulders again. My whole body was soaking in sweat and my member was hard and pulsing. Making Natsu crazy was making me crazy, and all I wanted to do was to grab my penis and jerk off till my cum exploded in my face, or simply get back into the room and pound my dick onto Natsu's ass until the sun came up.

Desperately, I got into the bathroom, walking inside the shower, turning on the cold water, concentrating real hard not to masturbate in there, as the cold drops ran through my warm body, as my dick pulsed, and I breathed really hard trying to cool off. It wasn't helping that Natsu's groan could be heard by the whole neighborhood, occasionally slipping a 'come back' amongst them. The image of my boyfriend going crazing, twitching and kicking as his whole body vibrated alongside the dildo buried inside his ass, and he went delirious, cursing me, wanting me. My own legs got weak even thinking about it.

After fifteen minutes, pink head had given up calling back for me, and the only sound coming from his mouth was loud shouts of desperation and pleasure. I got off the shower, and, without rubbing myself down, I just picked up a tiny towel, so tiny it didn't even surround me entirely, leaving my butt out, and covered my dick, which wasn't bothering in disguise his presence.

I slowly opened the door of my room again, and went crazy, seeing how my boyfriend moved frenetically from one side to another, feeling the vibrations on his ass running all over through his body, as he moaned like a little bitch, unable to take the dildo's movements inside his hole.

Trying as hard as I could to recover myself, I tried to get in character again and walked to the man, very slowly so he wouldn't realize my presence. Stopping by his upper body, I lifted my leg and stepped on his torso, my body still wet and with drops running through it.

"Gray…" The boy said in a weak voice. "Gray, please…" With a dirty smile, I grabbed my dick with all I got, slipping a loud moan from my mouth as I finally gave myself what I was craving for. Slowly running my fist through my dick, while my other hand massaged my balls, all this with the towel still on, being supported by my penis.

"You've been a very bad boy, Natsu." I said, trying to keep my cool amongst my own touching, taking off the boy's blindfold with my toe. His eyes were reflecting perfectly his desperation, with tears popping on them.

"Gray…" He whispered, as it was all he was able to do by then.

"You lie here, squeaking like a fucking whore, tempting me, provoking me, kicking and shaking, with a dick up your ass, while all I can settle for is watch you. One doesn't do that to a person, Natsu. It's not nice…" I said, gradually speeding up my hands ministrations on my cock and balls.

"Gray, please…" He mouthed, completely tired.

"What?" I asked, finally dropping the towel, realizing how the pink-haired boy's eyes popped, looking directly towards my erect member. That small detail was enough to make me go crazy, and a drop of pre-cum flew off my dick's head, seeing how desperate the boy was craving me. "You want me to help you out? After how bad you were to me?" I tried to make my voice still calm, even tough, inside, I was going completely insane, just wanting to fuck or get fucked, whilst the drops of water still ran through my wet body. "Damn…" I said, taking a look at the rest of the boy's body. He didn't take a shower, but he was as wet as me, all sweaty, his muscles were all tense, and, most importantly, his huge dick was all moist and sticky, practically begging me to be played with. Just looking at it made another drop of pre-semen fall from my cock, as I continued to play with it, trying to keep my cool. "It's hard to say no to you when you were blessed with such a delicious, perfectly carved body." As I said those words, I started to jerk off faster, with no realization that was what I was doing.

"Please…" He worked really hard to say that word, since that one actually came off with a sound. Trying to get a hold of myself I pressed my penis and balls really hard, to let go of them, and sat by the side of the bed.

"I guess your problem isn't as little after all…" I joked, looking deep into his eyes, and, in a single move, I grabbed the boy's dick with my hand, pressing it as hard as I could, making a loud groan come out of his mouth, as

I started to gradually speed my ministration up, as the boy still squirmed desperately. After a few minutes, I finally took the plastic dildo off of his loose asshole, looking deep into his eyes as I did that, smiling, seeing the boy significantly get calmer now that there weren't violent vibrations running through his body anymore.

Not giving him a chance to cool off for much longer, I soon put up two fingers inside his anus, making another loud moan echo from his mouth through the whole room, as I massaged that tight ring of pulsing muscles, going deeper and deeper each time.

Soon, both my hands were as fast as they possibly could go, each playing with different areas of his body, as the boy came back to move around desperately, kicking the air, and yelling like there was no tomorrow. I smiled seeing it, thinking that a piece of plastic in the shape of a penis got nothing on me and how well I could handle my boyfriend.

"Yeah. I like when you scream. Let the neighbors know, let them wake up from their sleeps, knowing how well I got you covered, how well you love me playing with your cock and asshole." The boy blushed, but he was unable to stop yelling, as I kept going.

Suddenly, I stopped, letting go of his dick, making the boy kick the air in protest, taking a few seconds to calm down, as I was actually getting there. I looked at him defiantly. Natsu has long lost his self-awareness, by now, he just wanted me to fuck him, and fuck him fast. I could see that by the tears of pleasure popping in his eyes, by the red colorization in his cheeks and by how messy his hair was.

"I told you. You will only cum on my terms."

With those words, I stuck my tongue out and gave the under vein of Natsu's cock a good long lick, feeling his whole-body trembling as I did that, with my fingers still moving inside his aperture. In a split second, I emerged my whole mouth around his dick, desperately licking it, feeling its salty taste, feeling its stickiness, as the boy came back to yelling and kicking and moving, and I gradually speeded up my moves with my fingers again, alongside my moves with my mouth, in order to make the boy reach his climax. Then, in a single move, I stopped everything.

Before he could complain, however, I buried my dick inside his ass, pounding violently onto it, lying on top of the boy's body, feeling how sweaty it was, while mine was still a bit wet from the shower. Our moans mixed up with each other, as I desperately just wanted to break free and to cum like there would be no tomorrow.

As we both were reaching our peaks, the pink-haired boy whispered a request in my ear.

"You sure?" I asked, gaspingly, and he just nodded in agreement.

Just like that, I simply grabbed his neck with my both hands, choking him as the man was about to cum. Seeing his face under me, as I pounded into his ass made me go even crazier, as I discounted all my sexual frustration and my despair to finally cum on his neck, we both yelling from the top of my lungs, until he finally came, semen blasting off of his dick and hitting my chest.

Feeling I was about to do the same, I let his neck go, and, while he tried to get himself back together, I quickly took my dick off of his ass and moved to his face, as I reached climax, and a white, hot shower hit the entirety of his face.

With all my muscles feeling weak, I simply fell on top of the boy behind me, still restrained on the bed, as we both tried to get our breathings back together, feeling our sweat, sticky bodies gluing with one another.

…

"Damn. You were on fire tonight." Natsu said, as I untied him, after we took a moment to get calmer. "How did you come up with all of this?" He came closer to me, as I lied down next to him, after I set him free, lying his head on my shoulder.

"Well, after we fought yesterday, I knew I didn't want to stay mad at you. But, at the same time, I was still pretty angry. So, I used my anger to good use and came up with everything. I stayed up all night looking into the internet for information at everything."

"Well, it did pay of off."

"I know it did." I smiled, dirtily, slapping his ass.

"Ouch!"

"What? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that I'm still hurting from all that belting."

"Oh yeah." A smile grew in my lips. "I had forgotten about that."

"So, do you think this is what we should do after we fight?" He asked, pressing his body closer to mine, cuddling. "Channel everything into sex?"

"Well, it isn't a bad idea…" I joked, right before a cellphone started to ring.

"It's mine." Natsu got out of the bed, to look for his phone. That was when I saw all the bruises on his back side. Apparently, I was being really serious when I said he wouldn't be able to sit for at least a weak. "Hello? Grandine? Grandine, what happened?" As I heard the urgency in my boyfriend's voice, I sat straight in the bed, paying attention at his conversation. Suddenly, the pink-haired boy interrupted his phone call by throwing his phone at a wall.

"Hey!" I ran to him, seeing how desperate he looked, running his hands through his hair, and walking back and forth, breathing deeply and uncontrollably. "Hey, it's okay. It's okay."

I tried to calm him down, making him stop walking, grabbing his shoulders, while he looked deeply at me. Just by the look he gave me I felt my whole-body shivering. There was no good news that could proceed that stare, especially since how deeply he was breathing, and how much he was shaking.

"What happened?" I asked, knowing I would regret doing so. Natsu's eyes deepened their looks on mine, as he swallowed hard trying to get to open his mouth.

"My… My father…" His voice weakened when getting to the second word, and all the tears of the world gathered on the corners of his eyes. There was no need for him to finish that sentence, so I just grabbed him as tight as could with my arms, trying to contain his shakiness, as those tears fell through his face, and his sobbing took over the room.


	14. January 20th, 2013 - The Secret

"Home, sweet home." My mom said, parking the car by the garage.

I got out of the car and walked to the front of my childhood house, stopping by the lawn. Looking at that structure, I couldn't help but smile, as snow fell down on me. I took a breath, absorbing the smell that that house, that whole town, actually, gave me.

Suddenly, I felt an arm going around my shoulders, making me open my eyes.

"Did you miss it much?" Natsu asked, also staring at the house.

"You have no idea." I replied, smiling.

We walked inside. Everything was exactly as I left it the last time. The two couches, the coffee table, the rug. The pictures on the wall. We spend all of our teenage years wanting to leave home as fast as possible, only to start to tear up like a toddler whenever we get back.

"I'll leave my backpack in your room, okay?"

"Yeah." I replied to my boyfriend, still fixating in the room I was standing on, and he got up the stairs.

"I missed you, kid." My mother's voice echoed through the room, taking me out of my state of admiration of my surrounding. I turned around to see the woman resting against the door, shaking when I met her piercing black eyes, amongst her equally black locks, and her smile aiming at me. Seeing that smile gave me chills. It was like I had been transported to the past, to my childhood, when only seeing Ur's smile and feeling her smell was enough to calm me down.

"I missed you too, mom." Ur had been the one that picked Natsu and I from the bus station to the house, but I had yet to have a moment with her, which I secretly craved for.

"Oh please, do you think I buy that? You're twenty, living the dream, going to college at Tokyo. You don't have the time to even think about me, in between cutting class to smoke on the campus, the fraternity parties, and, if you have some time, you can even go to class. Who would've thought about that, huh?" Those words made me smile. I missed her sense of humor. "And you know what? That's okay. Do you think I thought much about my folks when I was your age?"

"Mom…" I jumped in, to defend myself, as the woman walked towards me.

"Happy birthday, honey." The woman grabbed my cheeks with her two hands, looking deep into my eyes, with a smile, before depositing a kiss on my forehead. "Now, tell me. How are things with you?" She asked, moving over to the couch in front of the television, and I sat alongside her.

"Everything is fine, mom. I mean, sometimes it gets overwhelming, because, as it turns out, college is for studying, after all…" I said, making she giggle.

"And how are things with you and Natsu?"

"Things are pretty great, actually. I feel like we just connect, you know? You know when you are afraid that the more you know the person, the more things will get stuck and maybe they will end up getting tired of you, and stuff? We don't have that. I mean, it's like the more we get to know each other, the better and more interesting it gets. It's like we keep uncovering these layers of our relationship, and it gets more awesome with time, you know?"

"Yeah…" My mom replied, pensive, smiling to herself, looking down. "I had that once." Those words gave me chills. I knew who she was talking about. It was Lyon's father. She never talked much about him when we were kids, because she thought it would hurt my feelings if she kept bringing up my brother's father, while mine was nowhere to be found. But I knew. I mean she kept pictures of him around the house for god's sake. And, sometimes, she would occasionally bring up him up, saying what an incredible man he was, and saying that he loved me just like a child. He died when I was months old and Lyon was still inside our mom's belly. Mikami, he was called. "And…" She started talking again, grabbing my hand and turning to me, looking deep into my eyes. "Do you love him?"

"I do." I broke into a smile. "I do, I really do." I squeezed the woman's hand in excitement.

"I'm glad to hear that, honey. He is a really nice guy, isn't he?"

"He is… But, enough about me. How are you?"

"I'm fine…" Ur took a deep breath before responding, looking away. "I mean, as far as possible…"

"Are you taking care of yourself? You're not getting too stressed at work, are you?"

"Oh honey, that's the least of my problems. It's just weird, you know? To go home, at night, tired, without hearing you guys' voice, your steps." My mother's voice got weak and I noticed tears popped in her eyes. I put my hand in her shoulder, in an attempt to calm her. "No, it's fine." She replied to my touch. "It's just that…" She turned around at me, making me shiver, looking deep into my eyes, whilst tears were already falling from hers. "I've never lived alone before, you know?"

My heart pounded hard inside my chest when I heard those words. Quickly, I grabbed her for a hug, making she giggle a little, as I pressed my arms on her back. Secretly, there were tears running down my face, too.

After that moment we shared, my mom went to the kitchen and I made my way up the stairs, to my room, to see what was taking Natsu so long.

I stopped in the middle of the way, to look at a picture of my mother with Mikami, Lyon's father. She was really happy in that picture. They were standing in front of a waterfall. Ur was in a beige bikini, very much pregnant, with me, I'd take it. Her hair was long back then, she looked even more like my sister with it that way. The man was so much like Lyon. He had the same grey hair and black eyes. The only difference was the beard. Besides that, it was like looking at my two siblings.

It was a bit frustrating, actually, even though I wouldn't like to admit. Lyon got to have his father forever present, in pictures, in stories. My sister told me once that she remembered that, when Mikami was around, it was the happiest she'd ever seen our mom. Ultear had her father fighting for her custody and actually wanting to be present. While mine had simply walked away before I was even born. I knew nothing about him, what he was like, what he did for a living. Heck, even appearance wise, Lyon was a copy of his father. I had a few things from my mother, but when compared to Ultear it was clear she resembled Ur way more than me; they were like the same person. I probably looked like my father, someone I would never see and know how was like. I knew my mother always tried to sell the idea that Mikami was also a father to me, and, maybe, if he was still alive I would feel that way, but the way that things were it just seemed like a sorry apology or consolation prize.

These thoughts hunted me all the time growing up, especially in my pre-teen years, when I started thinking about building and identity and personality. But they never fully went away, and always came back in events like birthdays and Christmas. It had been a while since they popped by. But then, I guess, going back home brought old memories, and old memories brought old feelings.

"What were you waiting on here, for?" I said, walking towards my old bedroom, seeing my boyfriend sitting on the bed, with his shoes off.

"I was going to come down but then I saw you talking with your mom."

"Oh, yeah." I said, sitting by his side. "We did have a moment."

"You know, I was able to hear you say nice things about me." He went for my hand, putting his on top of it, and I looked at him, raising my eyebrow and smiling.

"Oh, really? And what did I say?"

"Oh, you know… That you love me... Stuff like that."

"I don't remember saying that…" I joked, making us giggle. The pink-haired boy grabbed my hand tighter, deepening his look at my eyes. I knew what was coming next. The boy leaned towards me, grabbing my cheek and kissing me, whilst I closed my eyes. The kiss moved from passionate to lascivious as his tongue went further into my mouth and moved our bodies back and forth towards one another. Soon, I felt Natsu's hand on my crotch, to which I immediately put my hand on top of it, to stop whatever his intentions were.

"No…" I said, gasping for air, interrupting our kiss.

"Why not?"

"My mom is at home, soon enough the rest will arrive…"

"C'mon. It's your birthday, I want to give you a present." Pink head said that with a dirty smile that made my whole-body shiver in temptation.

"You already gave me a present…" I tried to sound convincing.

"Are you telling me…" Pink head started talking in a husky voice, looking down at his flannel shirt, and slowly unbuttoning it, showing off his pectoral, as I drooled. Then he teasingly looked up, with a provocative look and that damn smile. "You don't want this?"

"Fuck, I do!" I said, after a few seconds of silence to assimilate the beauty of that stupid man sitting right in front of me.

I leaned over to him, lying the boy in the bed, finishing unbuttoning his shirt as I gave him a deep and desperate kiss, my hand going for his crotch and grabbing hard his member from outside of his pants.

"HAPPY BIRTH-WHAT THE FUCK?!" Lyon's shout echoed through the whole house, making me fall from the top of Natsu's out of shock.

"Lyon, what the fuck?!" I shouted, feeling my whole face burn. I must've been red like a pepper, but Natsu's wasn't much different, as he immediately got up and buttoned his shirt back. Rage was going through my body as I saw the grey-haired boy standing there, with an expression that was a mixture of shock and amusement on his face, trying to keep his laughs inside.

"Oh my god. I don't think I'll ever be able to take that image off of my mind." He said, forcefully blinking his eyes and looking away, while I got up and punched him in the arm. "Ouch! What the hell did I do? It's not my fault you two were humping into one another's asses like a bunny and a chicken trying to conceive an Easter egg."

"Ew…" Natsu said, and we both looked over to him, still sitting in the bed.

"Okay, you need to get out of here! Now!" I yelled, pointing at the door.

"Yeah, I know you're still in desperate need to have coitus with boy wonder over there, but I need your help."

"What?" I asked, making my brother peek down at my crotch, making me want to just grab his neck with all I've got and squeeze it.

"Geez!" I immediately covered my boner, blushing one more time and looking the other way. "Okay, just get out of here!"

"No, seriously, I need your help! Mom left and she asked me to start preparing the food."

"Yeah, so?"

"I don't want to do it alone!" He whined. "Plus, now I got something on you and I can force you to help…" A grin appeared on his face with those words. I seriously had to force myself not to hit his balls with my knee.

"Fine! _But_ you have to stop mentioning this or you'll have to cook for yourself." He rolled his eyes and agreed, turning back to the door, as Natsu and I followed.

"Just one more thing before we get to the kitchen." My brother abruptly turned around to us just before getting out the door of my room, making me shiver in annoyance. "So… You're the one that's on top, right? Nice…" I trembled with anger as the boy said that and gave into my temptation of punching him in the head. "Ouch! Okay, I'll stop." He said, turning around and getting out of the room.

"I mean, at least he didn't catch us in a more advanced position…" Natsu whispered into my ear.

"Please. Stop talking." I replied.

"Does it hurt? Butt sex?" Lyon opened his big fat mouth once more as we climbed down the stairs.

"Okay, sorry. I can't do this." I turned around, but Natsu stopped me, putting his hands on my shoulders, making me snort and turn the other way again.

"What? I'm genuinely interested."

"Where's mom anyway?" I asked, as we entered the kitchen.

"I don't know. She said she had some business to attend to or something. Anyway, shall we?"

"This is bullshit. I'm the birthday boy, I shouldn't have to do anything." I complained, sitting by the kitchen table.

"Oh yeah. That reminds me." Lyon said, walking towards me and pulling out something from his pocket. "Here. That's my present for you." On his hand, there was a keychain. A Hokkaido University keychain. I saw it and then looked at the boy straight in the eye, smiling.

There was one day, in the year before, that my mom called me while I was in Tokyo, saying that my brother was freaking out in his studies, in the middle of a breakdown. I didn't think twice than to go back home. Getting here, I found Lyon on his room, there were papers and books all over the floor, and he was lying on the bed, with his head buried on the pillow. I sat by his side, touched his shoulder and said I was going to help him. He turned to me, crying and yelling, and I secured him that he was going to get into college, that I personally would help him and that, when he got there, he would have to give me something from it as a thank you gift. And so, he did. With a lot of effort, and sweat and tears, my dumb little brother got into Hokkaido University.

"Thank you." I said, picking it from his hand, as he smirked looking deep into my eyes.

"You know, if I'd known you any better I would probably just get you a condom." He said with a grin, as I rolled my eyes. What a way to ruin a moment. "Anyway, shall we?"

"Yes. Just tell me what to do." Natsu promptly said, supporting himself in the sink balcony.

"Is that what you say to Gray when you are about to get some action?" My brother teased.

"More like that's what he says to me. And he still gets it wrong every single time." The pink-haired boy replied, high-fiving the other man.

"Ha-ha. Very funny." I said, getting up. "Anyway, get out of the way. If I let any of you try to cook we'll all starve to death."

"That's not fair, you love the coffee I make…" My boyfriend protested.

"Meh…" I teased, washing my hands.

"Gray thinks he is a revolutionary cook only because he knows how to defrost a pizza…" Said my brother.

"I know, right? And it's not like he can even do it right…"

"If I leave you two to try to defrost anything you'll burn everything to the ground…" I defended myself.

"Okay, fine. You are as good a defroster as you are a lover." Natsu said. "Which, to be fair, isn't saying much…" He completed the sentence, making my brother burst into laughter.

"Okay, fine, then I guess you'll have to do it without me from now on…" I replied, starting to cut a carrot.

"Oh, c'mon babe, I was just kidding." He came from behind me, putting his hands on my chest, kissing my cheeks.

"Ew." My brother provoked.

"Okay, stop. I have a knife on my hands."

"You are an amazing lover, you know that, right?" He whispered into my ear as I kept focusing on the carrot. I dropped the knife and turned around to him, smiling.

"God." I said, shook by his smile and green eyes. "You are so lucky you are cute…" I grabbed his ass, pulling the man for a kiss.

"Okay, I didn't interrupt your make out session so you can continue to hump into each other in the kitchen." Lyon interrupted us, making us end the kiss and look at one another's eyes, smiling suggestively. "That's disgusting…"

"Go…" I mouthed to my boyfriend and went back to cutting the carrots.

"So, Natsu…" My brother started to talk, once again. "What story are you telling with that hair of yours?" I rolled my eyes with those words.

"I don't know. What story are _you_ telling, wanting to know if anal hurts or not?" Now I was the one that burst into laughter. It was good to be reminded why I loved that pink-haired idiot, from time to time.

As I continued the food preparations, I took a glimpse at the other boys, trying to convince the other that their way of cutting the tomatoes were better. I couldn't help to smile. It felt good to be home, seeing two of the people I loved the most getting along with each other. It felt good to have a family.

Then, in the middle of our food ministrations, a honk could he heard, and the three of us shared looks.

"Who's that?" I asked.

"How the hell will I know?" Lyon snapped back, making me roll my eyes.

Drying my hands, I walked outside to see what was going on. An old car was parked right in front of the house. It was a red _Renault Twingo_ , the old one. I recognized it because it was my favorite car as a kid, since it was colorful andits headlights looked like eyes. I got distracted looking at the vehicle, still confused, till the honk went off again.

"C'mon, what are you waiting for?"

"Mom…?" I asked, confused, seeing my mother popping her head out of the car's window, yelling at me. "Wait…" I asked, thinking I was beginning to understand what was going on.

"So, did you like your present?" With those words by my mother, everything fell into place, and my whole body shivered, as I couldn't help but gasp and smile, both at the same time.

"No way…" I shouted.

"What's going on?" I heard Lyon's voice, as he and Natsu passed by the door behind me, standing by my side in the balcony.

"C'mon kid, let's have a test drive." The woman shouted again, from inside the vehicle.

"Wait, did she…" But I didn't reply to my brother's question, since I ran to the car, with a huge smile in my face.

"Mom!" I stopped by the window of the automobile, not being so sure of what to say. "Oh my god…"

"Catch." She said, throwing the keys at me. "It's all yours."

"Thank you! Thank you!" I shouted, grabbing her with all my strength into a hug, as she got out of the car.

"You're welcome. Now why won't you and Natsu go for a ride?" She untangled herself from my hug, grabbing my shoulders and looking deep into my eyes, smiling.

"I can't thank you enough but… How about later? I mean, Lyon asked for our help to prepare the food."

"What? That's silly! You are the birthday boy, you shouldn't have to do anything!"

"I know, but, I'm kind of digging it now…"

"Well, whatever you say, kid…" Ur replied, linking arms with me as we walked back to the house.

"Here. Have the keys. I'm afraid I'll lost it."

We four walked back inside the kitchen, to keep cutting vegetables for the dishes, and my mom began to inspect what we were up to.

"Who cut those tomatoes?" She asked, while I was still focusing on the carrots.

"Hum, I did…" My boyfriend replied, a bit afraid, which made a smile appear on my lips.

"What a unique way to cut it. I loved it."

"Oh, thank you!"

"Please, these are way better cut!" Lyon protested.

"So, Natsu, what's going on with your life?" My mom asked, as we kept on preparing the food.

I turned around to those three, seeing how they engaged in conversation. Seeing how well my boyfriend fitted in with my mom and brother. Again, an inevitable stamped itself across my face. It _did_ felt good to have a family. So good…

…

My birthday party was rather simple and intimate, but really special, nonetheless. Besides my mom, my brother and my boyfriend, also there was Mrs. Nanase, the owner of the town's candy store which pretty much served as a grandmother for me and Lyon growing up. She took care of my mother when she first got into town and had been a constant in our lives ever since.

My actual grandmother also came, which was definitely a plus. She had lost touch with my mom for years, coming to visit once or twice as I was growing up. But ever since Ur had a heart attack a year ago, she came looking for her daughter. Let it be known her wish to rebuild a relationship. They put the cards on the table; my grandma said she was really hurt when mom left in the middle of the night, without even a thank you for all these years she provided a roof for my mom. My mother, on the other way, let it be known how much she took as a personal blow when grandma supported Ultear's father on the suit to get the girl's custody.

Grandmother was actually willing to put all that besides them. My mother was more stubborn, but all it took was some convincing from me and Lyon for her to stop with that. I mean, she still was a bit estranged from her mother, but at least now they would talk, there would be phone calls and even occasional visits.

It bothered me sometimes to see Ur being harsh with Hiromi, that was my grandma's name. I knew I would never understand how their life was like before, and I know everything wouldn't be okay from day to night, but sometimes I thought my grandmother tried only to be shut down by mom. There was why I would always remember my mother to be nice whenever she went to meet with grandma.

Another person that got closer to my family ever since my mom's heart attack was my bigger sister. Ultear came to visit the night my mom was in the hospital and we had a talk. She opened up to me and I encouraged her to search for our mother and try to bury the hatchet. Ever since that they had been in touch. I could see how happy Ur had become with the approximation of her daughter. It was like a big piece of her life that was missing was finally found. Needless to say, my sister was also present.

"You should say something, honey." My mom said, as I blew out the candles on top of the cake.

"What? No, thank you."

"Come on Gray, you know you want to." Lyon teased.

"Speech! Speech!" Natsu started chanting, hitting his fists on the table, making me roll my eyes.

"I guess all I have to say is, thank you for spending this day with me. You are all very special people to me that have helped build who I am."

"Awn, so cute!" My stupid brother kept provoking me.

My boyfriend, on the other hand, grabbed my wrist on the table, and, as I turn around to look at him, he smiled and I stretched my face towards his, for a kiss.

"I would like to say something." I heard my grandmother's voice as I left Natsu's lips to turn to the front once more.

"Oh, mom…" My mother tried to reprimand her.

"No, let her." I jumped in. "Please, grandma."

"Well," She smiled at me. "I would like to thank all of you for letting me be a part of this family and for being able to be celebrating my grandson's birthday with him and the rest of the family, all together, for the first time. I remember a part of me dying every time one of your birthdays passed and I wouldn't be here with you, having to settle for a measly gift I would send to you by the mail. I was never more blessed than this past year where I got to get close with my daughter and her sons again. I thought that bridge was burned forever, so thank you," with tears in her eyes, my grandmother turned to my mom's hand and looking straight into her eyes "Ur, for letting me have this opportunity. I can not express enough how much it means to me."

When she finished talking, every single one of us had tears in our eyes, watching mother and daughter hug it out, as we clapped those words from Hiromi.

"We love you grandma." Lyon said.

"I would also like to say some things." Ultear said.

"Oh geez. I don't know if I can take it." Mom replied, drying out her tears, making we all laugh.

"I just want to say that I am also very grateful for having the opportunity to connect with this part of my family. I know I wasn't always the nicest daughter, but, you never stopped loving me. And the truth is, I never stopped loving you, either. I just didn't know how to express it. So, anyway, thank you. And congratulations to Gray, too."

"Cheers, everybody!" Mrs. Nanase shouted, raising her glass, and everyone repeated after her, doing the same.

After that, we all dug into the cake Mrs. Nanase had cooked. It was divine, as usually everything she did was, and, after that, we all went to the living room.

Grandma and Mrs. Nanase sat together, sharing stories and laughing. Which was, once, a bit of a rivalry between them, at least by my grandmother's part, anyway, blossomed into a strong friendship. They were so different, but, at the same time, had so much in common. Hiromi was an upper-class lady through and through. She was always wearing fancy, elegant clothes, had a perfectly aligned hair, and always make-up on. Basically, she just exhaled that 'old lady from the high-society' aura. Mrs. Nanase, on the other hand, was a more rustic woman. She had simpler backgrounds, and was your run of the mill housewife, worried only on preparing treats for everyone, being kind and trying to make every single person feel at home wherever they were. In the end, that was what brought those two together, their motherly instincts and stories about us; my mom, me and my siblings.

Natsu and I were sitting side by side, but he wasn't talking. Instead, the boy was focusing on my sister. It was rather funny how he acted towards her, like a true fanboy. He had met Ultear at least three times by then, but the pink-haired boy would still act in a foolish way whenever she was around. He definitely couldn't handle himself next to a movie star.

"Honey." My mom came to talk to me. "Don't you want to go for a drive with Natsu now?"

"That sounds like a good idea." I replied, taking a glimpse at Natsu staring at my sister, gaped.

"Ok, I'll go get the keys."

"No, please, I'll get it." I jumped in. "Where is it?"

"Oh, okay. It's inside my right bedside table."

"Got it."

I climbed the stairs and walked towards my mother's room. It had been a while since I'd been there. I closed my eyes, absorbing the smell, it smelled like her. A smile popped up in my lips.

I went to the bedside table, and opened the drawer. There it was, the key to my new car. I picked it up and put it on my pocket. After that I took a second to lie on the bed, to enjoy the comfort of my mother's room. When I was a kid I used to go there all the time, especially when I needed comfort, and, if my mother wasn't around, her room was the closest thing to her. It had her smell, and her bed was really comfortable.

I smile popped up on my lips as I rolled around on the bed. A nostalgia had always been with me every time I got back to my old house, but there was something about lying on that bed that made it hit me harder than ever.

I put my hand under the pillow and felt a piece of paper there. Curious, I pulled it out. It was an opened letter. I knew I shouldn't do that, but I was too curious. So, I just sat down on the bed and started reading it.

 _Dear Ur,_

 _Here I am, once again writing this letter to you, at this time of the year. By now, I know this won't have any effect. I mean, what has it been? Twelve years? But I just can't give up. And I'll write this letter to you every day till your ninety, because I'll never lost hope of one day meeting my son._

My body started shivering. I immediately took my eyes off of the piece of paper on my hands. I felt my insides tangling up. What did that mean? At the same time, I was dying to read the rest and not wanting to, afraid of what was to come next. With a deep breath, I aimed my eyes back at the letter.

 _I guess there is no need in telling you about how much I changed over the past years and how much I'll commit into being a good father to him. I mean, he is already turning twenty, those things don't matter much anymore._

 _I guess I could simply go looking for him, since he is not underaged for a while now, but I won't go against your wishes. I mean you're the mother that stuck with him for all those years as I bailed, so I get why you are so reserved about this._

 _I guess there is no sense in telling you how much I regret that decision, either._

 _Well, anyway, I'm just writing this letter, I guess, because I have been doing it since he was eight, and I wouldn't let his twentieth birthday pass. And, also, because I still hope that, one day, you will change your mind about us meeting._

 _Anyway, I wish you, and, especially Gray, the best._

 _Love, Silver._

I felt sick. It was like someone had punched me in the stomach repetitively. I didn't know what to do next. I didn't remember how to move. My brain had simply stopped sending commands to the rest of my body. My breathing became uncontrollable and I couldn't focus my eyes at anything. I had simply disconnected from the rest of the world, trying to process what I had just read.

I felt everything moving around me, while I was still immobile. I felt the necessity to throw up, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I couldn't bring myself to do anything. I couldn't even hear or see straight. All I could do was feel myself breathing, more and more abruptly as the seconds passed. I had entered into a trance, where everything around me was dark, I couldn't see anything, I couldn't move. It was like I was just floating around a pitch-dark atmosphere.

And then, I threw up. Vomit blasted out of my mouth, bringing me back to reality, as I began to felt the whole weight of my body in a single split of a second, and felt on the floor.

I lied there for a while, still processing everything. The words I had just read, the lights around me. Everything was still a blur, and my head was aching more than ever. I felt a bit of vomit a drool still slipping from my mouth, as I lied on the wooden floor, looking around the ceiling like a lost puppy, and my whole body shivered. That was when I realized I still held tight to the letter.

And _that_ was when I realized there were tears falling from my eyes, more and more of them started to fall, violently running through my face. I wasn't even sad. Not yet, at least, I was still processing everything. I was still lost. But the tears were already falling, in advance, as I lied there, looking at the roof of the room, feeling weak and apathetic.

And so, the tears kept falling, more and more violently, as I got back into myself. I felt my spirit, that was floating around, getting back inside my body, and all the feelings I wasn't feeling coming with it. In one second I felt all the sadness in the world, owning my tears, and, on the other, I moved on to being angry. I opened my mouth and a scream came out. A loud, guttural scream, that echoed all around the room. And it didn't end, the sound kept coming, even when I wasn't forcing it out anymore, it just didn't seem to stop.

I got up, with all my anger taking control of my body. I just wanted to smash something, to throw everything I could put my hands into away. There was a mess of feelings going around my head. I couldn't concentrate on anything, I just walked around, completely nervous, wanting to smash something. In a tantrum, I began kicking and punching the wall, still yelling. Not satisfied, I went to the bedside table and flipped it over.

It was only when seeing that wooden mobile hitting the floor that I was able to calm myself down. I took control of my breathing, and my body slowly started trembling. With my fist still grabbing tight to the letter, I walked out of the room, with a few tears still falling from my eyes and a bit of a shiver still rushing through my body.

Trying to get a hold of myself, I grabbed tight to the handrail with my free hand and slowly climbed down the stairs, focusing on my feet, not to slip. The voices from the living room began to echo around my brain, as I looked down to the people.

It was all a scam. That birthday party. It was a little act she had pulled over to pretend everything was okay. And she forced everyone to, unknowingly, be a part of it. My eyes ran through everyone. Natsu and Lyon having a conversation. Mrs. Nanase and my grandmother talking. Ultear looking at her phone. All the while, my anger began to build up. That was when I finally saw her. Ur. Sitting in the couch. Acting like everything was fine. Acting nice, like a hostess, like a mother. _Bullshit_.

My anger got the best of me, and my legs got week, making me slip, and fall down the last few steps, crashing down on the living room, falling on the floor, interrupting that show my mother had pulled, fooling everyone.

I felt a commotion building up inside of me, as everyone gasped and got up. I made sure I also got up before anyone could touch me, and cleaned out my shirt. My forehead was hurting from the fall, but it was okay.

I looked around, at all the worried faces around me. Like I was some defenseless little child. My breathing got heavier, and the lighting in the room began confusing my brain, as I aimlessly rolled around, having a mental breakdown, trying to take control of myself, as my heart desperately pounded inside of me.

"Gray, honey." There it was. That voice. That traitorous voice. Just hearing made me want to snap, as I still looked around the room, but everything I saw was one big blur. Everyone must've thought I'd lost it. And that was probably what it was. But if I did had lost it, it was for a reason I would make sure everyone knew that. "Are you okay?" Suddenly, she touched me. And a shockwave ran through my body, making all my senses come back to me, all at once.

"No, don't touch me!" I abruptly said, pulling my arm away. At least now I could focus my vision. It was focused on that woman. The phoniest person alive. Her surprised look really made me want to jump at her. We stayed there, looking at one another, while everyone else looked at us, waiting to see who would go first. After a few torturous silenced minutes, I forced some words out of my mouth. "Twelve. Years." I said, while the tears came back.

"What?" She acted like a fool. It was what she did best, after all.

"Twelve. Fucking. Years." Those words came out of me by the force of rage. "You lied to me for twelve years." My tone of voice was at the same time monotonous and furious. "What? Are you going to pretend you don't know what I am talking about?" I replied, seeing her confused, condescending face, which just made me angrier. That was when I showed the crumbled letter, and her eyes popped. It was like her brain finally cliqued. She knew exactly what I was talking about.

"Gray…"

"No, no, no. Please. Save your lies." I interrupted the woman. "It's over. Your mask of lies has finally fell off. Do you want me to read this for everyone? I think they will really love it!"

"Gray, please…" The woman said, trying to stay calm, as silent tears were falling from her eyes.

With my heart and voice full of rage, I read the letter. My heart aching more and more with each word, as they echoed inside my head and I got more and more furious. When I finally finished, I looked straight into my mother's eyes, we both crying copiously.

"So, what have you got to say for yourself, huh? How do you explain all those years of lying to your own son? To your own _child_ son? I mean, you sure put really effort into this. Twelve fucking years! You lied to me with a straight face for all this years, as you saw me grow up, pretending to care, pretending to love me…"

"I do love you!"

"You love the idea of having me for yourself, that's what you love! I mean, you are not blind! I grew up under your roof for all these years! You knew! You knew how sad I was about not having a father!"

"But you never said anything…"

"Oh please! You are not stupid! How many times have we had conversations about that?! None of us never said the actual words, but we knew what was being unsaid! You always made sure I knew that even though my father wasn't around, you were enough for me! That you loved me and would never abandon me like he did! You even tried to give me a consolation price, saying that Lyon's father was also a father to me! But guess what? My father could've been around! But you kept me from him! Because you liked the idea of being the only one for me! You did it for your ego!"

"Please! I did it for you! Gray, you don't know that man! He is a figure from one of the darkest moments of my life. He was an addict! He was not a nice man! I wanted to protect you!"

"But you didn't even give him a chance! You didn't give us a chance! I mean you could've at least tell me the truth when I was eighteen, let me be free to choose! But, instead, you continued to kept this secret from me. You would've died without telling me the truth! You are such a hypocrite! You literally have a daughter who you acknowledged that you are a lousy mother at first, but begged for a second chance. And still you refuse to give a second chance to other people!"

"This is not the same, Gray! Please try to understand! He is not a nice man!"

"Okay, fine. So, let's talk about how you begged your daughter for a second chance, and yet refuse to treat your mother with any decency, because of something that happened years ago! Why don't we talk about that, huh? God, you are full of shit!"

"Young man, that's no way to talk to your mother!" My grandmother jumped in.

"Mom, don't interrupt!" Ur shouted back, proving exactly my point, making me smirk.

"Yeah, exactly. You are a hypocrite. You can fool everyone with your talk about being a nice, hard working woman, but I see you for who you really are. You are a hypocrite, and if it's up to me, you will live the rest of your life alone."

I turned around, slamming the door wide open and going for my new car, as I heard my mother's shouts from inside the house, yelling for me to come back. I desperately put the keys inside the lock, entering inside the vehicle, starting its engine, hitting the accelerator, with tears desperately falling from my eyes as I started driving like there would be no tomorrow.

I ran through the streets of Snow Bent, the streets where I grew up in, where I lived my childhood, a childhood made of lies. I couldn't even see straight amongst all the tears and streetlights. Everything was blurry, yet again.

Then I heard a horn. Looking through the rear-view mirror I saw Natsu, desperately riding a bicycle, trying to catch me. I rolled my eyes at that view, but couldn't help to take a turn and stop the car by the street side, letting him reach me. The pink-haired boy stopped the bicycle, which mine, growing up, by the way, and knocked on the window, asking for me to let him in. Still unsure, I unlocked the doors and he entered inside, still gasping, letting the bike fell on the concrete outside.

"Look, I know you came here expecting me to calm me down or something…" I jumped in, seeing he opened his mouth to speak. "I don't want to talk." I said, trying not melt down mid-sentence.

Instead of talking, however, Natsu just put his hand on my shoulder. I turned around to him, trying to seem tough. But that mask soon fell off when I met his wide green eyes, and his compassionate smile, the kind of smile that could melt even the entirety of Antarctica. He didn't have to say anything.

Lost in his eyes, I started melting down again, as more tears desperately fell from my eyes and I lied my head down on my boyfriend's shoulder, while he caressed my hair trying to calm me down. That was all I needed by then, to feel his smell and get his affection. No more talking, there were no words that could make me feel better by then, only the support from one of the people I loved the most, and the only person I felt I could count on, by then.

It probably took thirty minutes for me to get my grip together, but it felt like an eternity. But the good type of eternity, the kind that, even if you feel the type passing slower than ever, you still wish it would never end. I just wanted to stay like that, in the dark, lying on my boyfriend's shoulder, forever. At some point, snow started falling from outside. _That's appropriate._

"So, what do you want to do now?" Pink head asked when I was already calm and went for the key, to turn on the car.

"Home, I guess. My actual home. _Our_ home." I said with conviction, grabbing the boy's hand next to me and looking deep into his eyes, as we shared a smile. "This place stopped being home for a while now. I just have to get used to it."

"Maybe. But maybe you're just upset. Maybe Snow Bent will forever feel like home to you. That's not saying that Tokyo isn't your home, too. But sometimes it's good to have something to hold on to, you know? Just because you still have something from your past that you still consider, it doesn't mean that you're not living the future. Does that make sense?" He asked, making me giggle.

"It does. Relax. You are very eloquent when you put your heart onto it."

"I would've thanked you, but, you see, I'm not sure I know what that means." He replied. Only Natsu could be able of making me laugh on a time like that. I stretched my face towards his and kissed his lips. That was the final thing I needed to get my strength back.

"Anyway…" I said, after a while, interrupting our kiss. "I'm too hurt to be around here. I don't know if it'll ever pass, so, let's just go, already."

"Well, what if there is a third home for you to go to, that isn't here or the university?" He said, pretty cautiously. I took a minute to assimilate those words, turning around to him, in doubt.

"What do you mean?" That was when he took a piece of crumpled paper from his pocket, extending his hand to me, so I could pick it up. Stretching it, it read an address, in Chiba. I looked towards the man, in suspicion. "Is that…?"

"Your mom asked me to give it to you. Now, stay calm." Natsu added, seeing I was probably going to lose it again. "We don't have to go there now. You don't have to go there with me if you don't want to, either. It's just… In case you do want to go there, meet him, now you can…" I took a deep breath, trying to clear out my head as the boy said those things. Trying to keep my calm, I simply grabbed the steering wheel, and looked deep into my boyfriend's eyes, once again.

"Well, what are we waiting for, then?"

And so, I hit the road. I spent the whole way there squeezing tight to Natsu's hand. My heart was pumping really fast, and I kept my eyes focused straight on the road, not to get distracted or let a window open where all my doubts and nervousness could get into my head. I wasn't in the mood for talking since my head was moving at full speed and I was at the urge a breakdown. Luckily, Natsu understood that, and he made himself present by only holding my hand, and we made our way to my father's house in complete silence, only with the radio casually playing the background.

With every mile I passed, I got more build up inside of me, feeling the need to urinate, or to throw up, or both. I wasn't sure I was supposed to do that. A lot of thoughts ran through inside my brain, and most times I just wanted to turn around and run away at full speed to a place I would never be found again and I wouldn't have responsibilities or choices to make. But my body wouldn't give in to my desperate commands and kept going. As we got closer, the worst everything got. And, soon, I was at his street, somewhere in Chiba.

It was a nice street, with houses, which meant he couldn't be an unemployed addict, if he was able to afford a nice house in a suburban-like neighborhood, like that one, could he? My brain became to overheat, as I started to analyze every sign, and gradually became slowing down the car as I got closer and closer. That was it.

"Okay, it's near. 75, 76…" Natsu became guiding me, going through the numbers in the houses, as I tried to pretend everything was okay. "77… Okay is the next one."

"The next one?" I tried as hard as I could to seem fine asking that question.

"Yes. Okay, this one." When he said that I panicked and hit the accelerator for a split second passing through the house, making Natsu fall back to the back of his seat. "Wow!"

"I'm sorry."

"What are you doing? We just passed it."

"Did we?" My breathing became heavier and I started sweating cold. It was harder and harder to keep that act. "Okay, I'll just have to take the turn and start again, then."

"Gray?"

"Yeah?"

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" That was when the silent tears came back, slowly running across my face, but I still smiled, like an attempt to deny their existence.

"Gray…" The pink-haired boy grabbed my shoulder, which made my whole-body shiver. Shit! I couldn't keep that act for much longer. I turned around to look at my boyfriend once more, trying to act cool, even though those tears were still falling. I met directly with his eyes, and a shockwave ran through my spine. That was it. I couldn't do that anymore. Letting a huge breath go, I dropped the wheel and hit the break, abruptly stopping the car.

"Fine. It's not okay. Everything it's not okay. Okay?" I shouted those words without even realizing that that was what I was doing. "I'm sorry…" I said, getting my grip together.

"No. Look…" He leaned over to me, putting his hand on my leg and looking deep into my eyes. "It's okay. No one expects someone to be okay after something like that. I'm not disappointed at you or anything. And I also don't want to force you do something you do not want to do. Hey." He insisted, grabbing my thigh, as my eyes got lost, making me look back at him. "I'm with you for whatever you decide to do, is that okay?"

"Yeah." I said, taking a breath, trying to convince myself more than him. "I just… It's just that I don't know what I want to do…?"

"That's okay, too…"

"I just feel a little bit stupid. That was everything I wanted during my whole life. To have a father, you know? And now I have the chance to finally fulfill that wish, and… I don't know. What if… it isn't anything I'm expecting? Of course I wanted a dad to fill up all the clichés; to teach me how to talk to girls, how to shave, to go camping on the beach with. Who would share with me his taste in music and comic books. But, mostly, I just wanted this cool, rad, laidback dad, like a rock star. I wanted someone I could go to whenever I was too overwhelmed or too let down, when I felt no one could understand me and everyone had those high expectations about me and my life, and he would just be a friendly shoulder, you know? We would share a bear, he would tell me stories, give me advice, but, in the end, he would still let me do whatever I felt was right for me, and respect my choices." I said those words with tears still falling, running through my cheeks, still looking deep into my boyfriend's green eyes. Holding onto them to maintain the slightest calm I still had inside of me. "But what if… What if he is not? What if he is just this jerk who ran out on my mom and is addicted to heroin and just wants me to lend him money or something? Or even worse, what if he is this uptight, boring, executive guy, who'll just talk to me about college, and my grades, and plans for the future?" As I said those things, Natsu couldn't help but to giggle a little, which even made a smile appear on my lips. "Hell no! I just… Held on to my fantasy dad for so long… I'm not sure I'll be able to let him go so abruptly, especially if I can't secure myself that the real thing will be worth it, you know? It's like one of those things that you wish for something for so long, that, when it finally arrives, it turns up not being what you imagined at all, and you end up being disappointed? I… I don't want that to happen. I wouldn't be able to take it. Not with this. Not with a father…"

"Hey, hey." Pink head grabbed my cheeks again, seeing how I started to fall into that state of depression again. "It's okay. No one can force you to do anything. Especially when no one else knows how a situation like this one feels like. I mean this is some batshit crazy drama, like, telenovela drama or something…" Those words made another smile appear across my face. Only him would be able to make I want to smile in a time like that. "You're the one that has to know how much you can push this through, and when you feel like you should stop. All I can say is that I'm really proud of you." He deepened his look on my eyes with those words, grabbing my cheeks tighter. "You made a really big step today. Don't force yourself to do anything you're not ready yet. No one will judge you. At least now you know you have this door. Whether you decide to open it or not, it's on you, you know?"

"Thank you." I smiled at the boy, and he replied. "Let's just… get out of here, okay? I've been through too much already in just one day." He grabbed my hand tight and our eyes met once more, as we both leaned our faces towards one another, for a kiss, a compassionate kiss. Natsu wasn't my father, but he was definitely the person I could run to when I felt out of synch with the rest of the world. After that, I turned on the car again and we continued our path. "A door metaphor, huh? Smooth."


	15. July 7th, 2017 - The Story

Igneel Dragneel was born in December 27th, 1962, in a small town in the countryside of Japan.

His mother was a waitress named Rei. She was a hardworking, grumpy woman, with black hair and brown eyes. When a kid, Igneel always wondered why he was so different from his mother, with his red hair and green eyes. Soon he came to realize that the most logical explanation would be that he got those assets from his father, which was also a big mystery in the boy's life. They didn't talk about his father, and the slightest mention of that word was enough to make Rei shiver and slap the boy behind the head. The only thing his mom would share with him about the man was that he walked on them; that was all he needed to know.

As the years passed by, Rei became more of a crass, bad-tempered mother. Her light kept slowly fading away as she grew older, while still having to deal with her son, living in a dirty, small apartment in the poor part of town, and working in a job she hated for years, without ever being promoted, facing rude customer, and, occasionally, harassers. Being a mother was never her strong suit, but she kept becoming the worst version of herself as the years went on. She kept getting weight, letting her appearance slide, and then, when things couldn't get worst for her, she developed a drinking problem.

If in his house things were bed, at school, things weren't much better for Igneel, either. He didn't have friends, spent most of his days alone, and was too busy working, trying to help out at home, to cultivate a social life. Then, he met Hiroshi.

Hiroshi was a boy from a rich family who had just moved into town during Igneel's last year of middle school. The boy didn't actually have friends when he first got there, and that was probably why he sat down on Igneel's table on the cafeteria. The redhead felt weirded out at first, he wasn't used to have that kind of company, but he decided to just shrug it off and kept reading his book. At least he tried to, but the newfound company in the form of a strange boy kept trying to engage in conversation. A bit annoyed, the ginger teen decided to go along with it and they both started talking to one another. That was the beginning of a new friendship. Igneel's first one in his entire life.

Hiroshi was pretty ambitious. He had plans of working on a circus. It had always been an obsession of his. Since he was rich, his parents could afford to give him the best acrobatics and trapezium lessons money could pay for, and so, the boy was very flexible and talented in that area. Spending time with his new friend and listening to all his plans for the future, Igneel started to wonder about that. He never really thought about his life in the future, and always tried to focus on getting by in the present, but seeing that the future was all that Hiroshi talked about, the redhead couldn't help but to think about his own.

Even though he liked his friend, Igneel felt a little bit bothered about his lack of self-awareness. Hiroshi spent his days complaining about how he hated his life and his parents, and about how he couldn't wait to get out of his house and live his own adventure, without realizing that many people would kill to have the amount of comfort he had, Igneel included.

The years passed, and the bond between the two boys became stronger than ever. They spent every day together. In school and out of it. Igneel started frequenting Hiroshi's house almost religiously after classes ended. He was always under the impression that his friend's parents didn't seem too fond of his presence, but, although it bothered him, it wasn't enough to keep him from coming in, especially since, the more he spent time with his friend in his mansion, the less he had to deal with his mom, in their shack.

Hiroshi started teaching his friend circus lessons, using his personal trapezium he had at his bedroom, and Igneel started to become quite good in it, beginning to understand his friend's obsession with it. It was also a way to numb oneself from reality. And that was one of the things Igneel craved for the most.

During senior year, Rei died, thanks to alcohol abuse. Igneel, Hiroshi, and a couple of co-workers were the only ones to attend her funeral. The redhead felt angry, more than sad. Angry at himself, for intentionally freezing out his mom during the last years of her life. She was a lot to take in, sure, but there would forever be a doubt on the back of his head that, maybe, if he had payed more attention, she would still be there. Other than that, not much. Another part of his brain questioned himself if he was holding tight to that anger in order to feel something. He demanded himself to feel sad, but, deep down, he knew he couldn't. Not when his relationship with his mother ended up being the way it was. He felt sad for not being sad rather than because of what had just happened, and that made everything worse. He felt like a monster for getting home by himself and feeling relieved, feeling like a long dead weight had just freed his back. And, the person he thought would be there for him at a time like that, wasn't.

Hiroshi was too busy with his own problems, which were as banal as they come. The rich kid who had troubles with his parents. And that was pretty much all he talked about all the time; about how he hated his parents, about he felt caged in his own house. And that was pretty much when Igneel realized how self-centered his best, and only, friend could be. But he went along with it. He was tired of sudden changes and Hiroshi was pretty much the only constancy on his life by then.

Until one day; his friend came to school feeling determined. Igneel was apprehensive about that, knowing something was up. And so, Hiroshi opened up about his plan to finally run away, to join a circus that was coming to a town next to theirs, in two weeks. The redhead it had had it. He couldn't support the other boy anymore. In his head, he kept questioning himself about how could someone be so privileged to not even realize how privileged they were. Hiroshi had everything Igneel had always wanted, a stable family, money, a nice house, and a future to hold on to.

Hiroshi didn't understand where that was coming from. In his head, it was well stablished between the two boys that he belonged in the circus and that Igneel knew that that was what everything was leading up to. But Igneel never realized that his friend's plan acquired running away, to which Hiroshi replied that it was obvious it did, since his family would never support him becoming part of a circus, and that his mother already planned out his whole life for him, as a lawyer.

Even with that explanation, Igneel couldn't support his friend's selfish acts anymore, and so, they strayed away from one another. It was killing Igneel inside to do that, especially when putting in mind that he would only have two weeks left with his best-friend if everything went accordingly to his plans, but the ginger man would never forgive himself if he decided to look past that idiotic decision Hiroshi was making.

And still, at that night, when he was trying to relax on his house, images of Hiroshi climbing down his window in the middle of the night and disappearing kept coming to his head, alongside the thought that he would never see the boy again, the first, and, so far, only person that took enough interest on him to try and engage in conversation with the boy, to the point that they even became friends. Before that, he had just settled to the thought that he was just plain uninteresting for anyone to want to talk to. Igneel just couldn't left things as they were.

He got on a bus and moved all the way to the other side of town, waiting next to Hiroshi's house, the house that he grew fond of over the years, to the point where it became almost feeling like a second home, if it weren't for the actual owners of the place not liking him very much.

A while later, he saw his friend walking closer, with only a backpack on, which couldn't even fit enough stuff for a two-week trip, let alone to rebuild one's whole life somewhere else. He saw Igneel, standing in the middle of the dark street, looking as the boy got closer. Hiroshi's whole-body shivered, as he froze, looking at the other man, as a shocked expression took over his face. He asked if the redhead was there to stop him, to which the other replied that; no, only to say goodbye.

And so, they walked to the silent, scary dark streets, exchanging their last words towards one another, walking their way to the bus stop, where he would catch a bus to leave him at the train station, where he would start over his life. Hiroshi gave his friend a flyer, with the circus touring dates, so the ginger man could come.

That was when things got ugly. Walking down an alley, a group of men came running past them, seeming to be running away from something. Right after them, came a police officer, telling them to freeze. Igneel tried to reason with the man, explaining they weren't who he was looking for, but before he even could finish his sentence, Hiroshi started running, and that was when the bullet hit him.

Igneel never fully understood why his friend started running; it was probably because he was afraid the cop would ruin his plan to run away. But something he would always remember was seeing the boy lying there, against the concrete, having his last breath as the blood splashed everywhere.

After that, Igneel's life hit rock bottom. Hiroshi's parents blamed him for their son's death, and the whole town became ostracizing him. The school wasn't the same anymore. Even his house wasn't the same. Now he was truly alone.

Till one day, when he fell from his bed, and found something under it. It was the flyer, that Hiroshi had given to him minutes before he died, with the circus tour dates. That was when a wild idea popped on the man's head, and so, he did what his friend wanted to do for so long, packed his things and got on a train, without ever looking back.

The entering of the circus smelled like popcorn. The colors were bright, there were excited children running and flags and lamps hanging all the way to the main tent. He bought his ticket and sat on the first bench, eating the popcorn on his hand compulsively as he watched the spectacle unravel right before his eyes. It was something he never felt before. It was more than entertainment, it was pure joy.

Igneel waited after the show, to talk to the owner of the circus. A muscular man with a moustache and his black hair pulled back with gel, named Masumi. The redhead stated his case, expressing his wish to join the circus, only to be denied that.

But he refused to give up. And so, he followed the troupe around, working on all the jobs he could get for the period of time he would be on town, just so he could join money in order to live, while running around the country for a travelling circus.

It got to the point where he didn't even bother to talk to the owner, just stood there after the show until he passed, just to state that he was there and wouldn't give up. Finally, one day, Masumi called him on his tent and they talked. The man explained that, when hearing his story, he got the impression that Igneel just wanted to join the circus for his dead friend, and not himself, but seeing how persistent he was, he decided to give the redhead a shot.

And so, it all started. At first, Igneel was under training, with the couple of trapeze artists, Orochi and Izumi. He even slept in the same tent as them, feeling really guilty for disturbing the couple. He trained really hard, day and night, wanting to get better. Let's face it, having a non-professional teenager teach you how to use the trapezium a couple times didn't make anyone an expert. Orochi was nicer, while Izumi was more liberal in speaking her mind, meaning she could be a little tough. Igneel didn't mind, tough. He would endure anything to be the best version of himself.

Aside from the training, Igneel was still a little shy and uncomfortable when around the other circus attractions. He felt like a weak lamb that was adopted by a pack of ruthless wolves. Masumi tried to include him, though, inviting him to sit with the rest of the guys during supper. They were fun, and really tried to include him. But, at the same time, they were a bit intimidating and abrupt, but Igneel tried not to judge them on that, they were his family after all.

Soon, he started to make friends. There was the psychic, Akemi, a fifty-year-old woman with the body of a thirty-year-old. She was very mysterious and seductive, spending most her days playing with her cards. Igneel was a little scared of her, even though, also a little aroused. Most of the men wanted her, spending most their days trying to get underneath her skirt, but only a few could have her, and of the ones who could, Masami was at the top of the list. When she got irritated, she would look at the person deep in the eyes and start to yell in some foreign language, making a curse. So everyone knew not to stay at her bad side.

There were the trio of clowns, three men, who were always hanging out together, hardly ever seen out of their costumes, who Igneel suspected had a polygamous relationship together.

Bao was the Chinese mage. He didn't talk at all, but he was always there, staring at everyone. When he wasn't performing or travelling, he could be found sitting on his favorite bench, outside the tents, with his eyes wide-open. It was believed that he never slept and that he was a hitman before joining the circus.

Penelope was the name of the bearded lady. She was a very sweet, carrying person, sort of like a motherly figure for everyone in the troupe, to which everyone came for when they needed to confess something or to solve a problem. She was also the cook, which lead to, occasionally finding some hair in the food, but nobody seemed to mind. She was married to the strong man, Haruka, which was a woman's name, very ironic. Even though the man could lift a dozen times more than his own weight, he was, too, a very sweet person, who, often, was in charge of making dessert. Their son, Kenji, was in charge of performing the opening act, with three other people. They would dress up as characters and perform a little scene, to entertain the kids. The characters were a pirate, a vampire, the Frankenstein and the medusa.

The magician was called Nobu, and his assistant was a Russian lady named Annushka. She was the twin sister of the equilibrist ballerina, Antonina. They both were in their late twenties and already had the craziest story of how they escaped from home so Antonina could follow her dream of travelling the world as a ballet dancer. Annushka followed her, feeling like she shouldn't leave her sister behind, and so, they ended up in the circus, instead. Antonina acted like a diva, not having time for anyone else but herself, with a sense of superiority, while her sister was more approachable, and friendly.

Rosalinda was the dog trainer, Hachirou was the sumo fighter, Ajit was the fakir that came from India and Hayato was the juggler. They all had crazy stories, and they all came from different backgrounds. For more impossible that it sounded, Igneel was starting to feel at home there, alongside those misfits and freaks.

He was getting better at the trapeze, too, and he could feel his teachers getting proud of him. The only problem was that he had the strange feeling that Orochi was hitting at him sometimes. He realized it was true after a day of practice, when the older man tried to make a move at him. He denied at first, but ended up giving in. He never saw himself as someone who would feel attracted to a man, and part of him was guilty about it, but the redhead realized he was already amongst a community of underdogs, no one would judge him, not anymore, so he just gave in to his carnal wishes.

That went along for a while. Initially he was guilty because of Izumi, but the man assured him they had an open relationship, and that, in fact, they had a bet going on to see who would get under the ginger's pants first. Soon enough, Izumi started also being a part of their sexual relationship. For Igneel that was him liberating himself from all his chains, fully immersing himself into that community, free of taboos and living for the now.

He became an official attraction of the circus, performing with his couple of lovers. But he didn't get stuck on them, starting to have sexual encounters with several of his crewmates, and even with strangers that just came to see the show. Soon, the redhead realized he was a good-looking guy and used that newfound confidence to his advantage.

It became almost a rule that Igneel was going to get involved with someone at the new town the circus installed itself. They were most commonly girls, in search for an adventure, and having sex with a boy from the circus was the easiest way to fulfil that wish. They fooled around for a week or so, and then the man went away, ready to do it all over again. He felt good that way, no strings attached.

The first time that changed, was when Igneel met a girl named Porlyusica. He was with the circus for more than ten years by then, things had changed over the years, people had left, people had arrived, he even became the headline of the trapezium once Izumi and Orochi retired. But one thing stayed the same; he kept not expecting to fall for anyone the way he fell for her. Not at that stage of his life, at least.

And, yet, it happened. During their first performance on a town called Magnolia, Igneel couldn't help but to notice a girl sitting on the first bench. She seemed young, he thought, but that never stopped him before. It was common of him to spot a girl and decide to work his magic with her in upper hand, and so he chose that blond lady. She seemed shy and timid, wearing a long skirt, like she wasn't used to doing bad deeds, he thought. _But that's about to change_ , the man thought to himself.

For the whole show, he couldn't take his eyes off of her, especially at the way she smiled towards everything. After it ended, he ran at her on the first opportunity he saw, tapping the girl on the shoulder, making she turn around to see him, immediately blushing and smiling. Igneel didn't realize it by then, but he was nervous too, even though he was more than used to hitting on strangers.

She said her name was Porlyusica, which the boy found adorable. He, too, was accustomed to having an unusual name. He invited her out, and that went things got bad for the boy. The blond lady said she couldn't, which, he wasn't estranged with hearing it. Normally, the small-town girls would be very shy and nervous around a strange circus man, but the way he dealt with the answer, coming from Porlyusica's lips, was different.

And so, Igneel insisted. He said he'd been waiting for her on the town's square at nine p.m.. He knew that, if the girl was anything like the other's he would be there. The only problem was, he thought she was different, at least for him she was. But she was there, luckily. The redhead couldn't keep his smile to himself seeing that woman. He had completely fallen to her spell.

They spent together the whole time the circus stayed in Magnolia. Porlyusica went to every show and after that they walked together through quiet parts of town, where they wouldn't be spotted. It turned out, the blonde was from a very conservative family, and they wouldn't like hearing about their child walking around with an older man from the circus. He thought the girl was kind, sweet and had a unique way of seeing the world. Igneel could spent hours listening to her voice ramble on her own thoughts, as they sat next to the river and she build a flower crown out of dandelions. As though as he wouldn't like to admit it, he thought he was fallen in love.

Until, it was time for them to part ways. It was killing the trapeze artist to let the girl go. Part of him just wanted to propose to her to run away with him, and join the circus. But he knew it wasn't the wise thing to do. That Porlyusica would be much better off if she stayed in Magnolia. She was studying to be a doctor, she was from a rich family that could provide her anything she needed. While all he could provide for her was his company, and the redhead knew she was worth much more than that.

As Igneel and his crewmates were dismantling their camp, ready for another trip, the blond girl appeared by, running and crying desperately. As soon as she saw the boy there she ran towards him, jumping on his lap, as they both fell on the ground. Between her sobbing she told the guy that her parents found out about their relationship, she had a big fight with them where she confronted the two about many things that happened over the years and got kicked out of the house.

While trying to calm the girl down, an idea popped by the man's brain. He knew it was crazy, and that there was a probability that she would never accept it, but the ginger man would die if he didn't ask. It was his fault she was out on the streets, after all. And so, he asked her to come with him, and the circus. And, in an unexpected turn, at least for Igneel, she said yes.

And they went that same night. The two followed the circus around for a year or so, on the ginger's truck. Porlyusica found a function as the magician's new assistant. She died her hair pink, at a true unexpected turn, to mark her freedom, and fulfilling a long-time wish. They lived happy, unconcerned lives. Until she got pregnant.

At first, they shared the news with the rest of the troupe, without giving much thought onto it. Then, Penelope advised Igneel to think about rebuilding his life, outside from the circus, now that he got a baby in the way. Those words hunted the man for days. Deep down he knew it was the wise thing to do, but the circus had been his only home, the only place where he was happy. He already started to notice everyone treating him differently, whispering behind his back, knowing what was coming next. It was not the first time someone left the circus because they became parents, and his friends didn't seem to be happy about the man doing the same. So, he felt guilty, and even more confused. But then, Porlyusica's ways started to change ever since her pregnancy. She became grumpier, sicker and had more pain than ever. He knew that environment was only making things worst, and so, he made up his mind.

What he didn't expect to happen, however, was when telling his intentions to his girlfriend, that she would react against it. Everything backfired, and what he had been trying to prevent, happened. Instead, the pinkette got angry at him, yelling, accusing him of deciding her future for her. She said she was the happiest she had ever been ever since joining that circus, she was her true-self, and she didn't want to give up her life for someone else, again. The redhead tried to reason with her, but nothing would make her use her reason by then.

After the initial shock, Porlyusica looked for her boyfriend and admitted that he was right; it would be the right thing to do to leave the circus, even though the both could agree that it broke their heart.

They searched for a low rent apartment on the town the circus was staying, to start their new lives. They found one, that was actually the second floor of a house remodeled as a second apartment, with the owners living under them.

On their last day, the crew hosted them a farewell party. By the end of that, they revealed their intentions to marry them right there, a surprise wedding. They got a priest, the appropriate clothes and even the rings. All the couple would have to do was say yes. And that was exactly what they did. It was the best way of say goodbye to that phase of their lives; to officially start the new one.

After that, they moved in into their new apartment, their new town, ready for whatever was to come next. Igneel had no idea how to manage a life without performing. It had been too long ever since he got a regular job. Porlyusica found a place that would hire her even with her hair like that; an ice cream shop. And her husband soon found a job as a delivery man.

Everything seemed to be going so well, up to the moment Porlyusica's water broke. In the middle of her shift, she had to be dragged out to the hospital by her co-workers, and only there they called to Igneel that just outright stop delivering his pizzas to go visit his wife.

As soon as he got to the room where she was delivering the baby, the doctors decided to move her to another place, since the woman was facing a lot of complications during labor, one that Igneel couldn't be at. All he settled for doing was yelling at Porlyusica at the hallway how much he loved her and that everything was going to be okay, as the nurses moved her bed. Unfortunately, the woman was too weak to hear him. And that was the last interaction they had.

By the end of the night, Igneel had fathered a child, but the woman he loved had died.

It was the worst moment of his life when he got back to his apartment with the tiny baby in his arms. Porlyusica wanted to name their son Natsu, as a homage to the season where the two met and fell in love, back in Magnolia, and so, he did.

When entering back at his apartment, now all alone, with the baby in his arms, Igneel didn't know what to do, he didn't know how to take care of a living creature, not alone. All he wanted to do was to lie down on the floor and cry. And that's what he did. Soon, his cries became mixing with Natsu's, as a reflection of what Igneel felt of himself by then, a baby, a crying baby, completely helpless, and alone.

He lost his job. He couldn't leave the house. He couldn't take care of his own son. The couple downstairs helped him in that phase, babysitting. But he knew that wouldn't last forever, especially because all his savings could only pay the rent for another month, and soon, he would be homeless and starving. Not only that, an innocent baby would be out on his luck because of his lack of responsibility.

And so, in a dream, he realized what he had to do. In the middle of the night, Igneel got out of his apartment, leaving his key and the rent money. He got on a bus, heading to Magnolia, to leave his baby in there with Porlyusica's parents. Natsu would be much better off with someone who actually knew how to take care of a baby. Igneel felt like an idiot, for believing that someone like him could, one day, have a normal life and start a family. It was set for failure since the beginning.

During the trip, the bus broke down. Everyone had to get out, and, even worse, they had to stay the night there in whatever the hell they were, waiting for the bus to be fixed, just to leave in the next day.

That was terrible news. Igneel had no idea what to do. If he had to take care of his baby for another night, he would crack. At least he had remembered to bring a backpack with a baby bottle with milk whenever the little kid started crying.

The redhead looked down at his baby, on his arms. For the first time, Natsu wasn't crying. He was actually smiling. And for the first time since what it felt like forever, Igneel was able to smile, too. He noticed, then, his son's eyes. Green, like his. That exchange between them lasted for like a minute, before the father started to tear up, which led to the baby's crying coming back.

Igneel became anxious again and immediately sat down on a bench in a square. Oddly enough, the square had a dragon statue in the middle of it, but he didn't give much attention to that, while there was a crying baby in his arms. He picked the bottle from the backpack, to feed his son, who immediately stopped crying after he did that, and the man could go back to admiring the boy's cutesiness.

In his mind, a crazy idea popped up. One day. That was it. He would give himself one day to prove he could be a decent father, and if he deemed himself successful, Natsu would stay with him. And so, the day passed by, and he checked into a hostel with little Natsu. Lying down on that cold, unknown bed, Igneel looked down at the baby, as they shared a smile. There was no way he would give up his son like that.

And so, he settled. There, at that place, right around the corner of the end of the world, called dragon village. Igneel started working as a receptionist right at the hostel he was staying, for half the pay, while continuing to live there, as he tried to make a living and support Natsu. The hostel owner, Mrs. Mikki, babysat the boy while his father was working, and that was the way things went for the duo for a while.

A house's roof fell down one day, and the owner, who lived in the city, decided to get rid of it. Igneel didn't waist that chance, and bought it, agreeing to fix the roof on his own, and that was what he did, so he and Natsu could finally get his own place, and he could get fully paid for his work over at the hostel.

The man also decided to go to college, at some modest university a couple towns away from the dragon village, so he could get a degree and be better qualified for better jobs, all that during the day, while his son was on school.

One day, Igneel was called by Natsu's day-care's principal. The redhead was worried sick that the meeting had something to do with him being a bad parent, or not a very present one in his child's life, but the woman secured him about how the little boy made sure everyone know how his dad was his hero, which made the man feel a lot less worried. All those thoughts kept coming to his head. He knew he wasn't a good man at showcasing emotions, and he always worried that Natsu read that as lack of love.

But, actually, the meeting was about how Natsu was having a hard time connecting with his classmates, always shy and not engaging with the activities. And so, it was advised to him to make the boy practice some sport. Igneel put Natsu on judo, at the town's sport school, and things started to get better. He became happier, and seemed to be really enjoying it. Plus, it gave his father more time to focus on himself, and get his education.

The only downside seemed to be how much the blond was getting attached to his sensei, Gildarts. Often, Igneel got jealous about their relationship, feeling replaced as a father figure, but he was too proud to admit it, so he just let it go, and, with time, learned how to appreciate Gildarts' role on his son's life.

When Natsu got to elementary school was when Igneel met Grandine. She was his teacher, a woman in her late thirties, with short, black hair. She seemed kind, and the boy was always talking about her and her classes. On a parents meeting, that was when the redhead finally could meet said teacher, and was immediately charmed by her smile, and her glasses.

They engaged in conversation, where the woman gave Natsu high praises, and, during their whole talk, the two couldn't stop smiling at one another. Igneel realized what that feeling was, something he hadn't felt for a long time. To be honest, he didn't stop to think about that aspect of his life ever since his son was born, and he wasn't sure he was ready for that just yet.

He spent the whole week proceeding that meeting guilty about his own feelings and the image of the black-haired woman who wouldn't seem to fade away from his mind. Right after her, Porlyusica's image would pop by, and he would feel immediately ashamed, like he was cheating, even though, logically, he knew it wasn't.

It was even harder to forget about Grandine when Natsu would bring her up every single time whenever he got the chance. It was driving Igneel crazy. Till he had it, and decided to make a move. Waiting to spot the woman leaving the school, he immediately approached her and asked her out, regretting the exact second after the words came from his lips.

Initially, a tension built up between the two of them, as they looked at one another's faces, not knowing how to react after that. But, once the shock was gone, Grandine simply smiled and accepted it.

They went on a lunch. They talked about their lives. The man mentioned he was on his last period of college, but was unsure of when he was finishing it, because of all the things he had to take care of, and that he was actually finding it hard to follow the pace. Grandine immediately offered to help him, and so, they started meeting on a weekly basis.

They inevitably fell for one another, and their student/tutor relationship became a boyfriend/girlfriend kind of thing. She moved in with him and his son. He finally graduated, with her help. She got pregnant and they decided to officiate their relationship with an intimate ceremony.

Natsu couldn't be more over the moon with everything going on around him. His dad got together with one of his favorite people, he was getting a little sibling, and Igneel was building him a new room, to empty out the other one for the baby. He started bragging about how his dad married the teacher to all his friends, especially his best-friend, a little girl, named Lisanna. They did everything together. Looking at his son, so happy, with friends, a family, and even a tutor who he looked up to, Igneel couldn't feel gladder about not giving up Natsu that day, that one day that changed their lives forever.

With the support from his wife, Igneel decided to apply for the job of a gym teacher in the local high school. Luckily enough, he got the job.

When Grandine walked into labor, he decided there was no way he would let what happened the last time happen again, and so, he stopped leaving the house in her last days as a pregnant woman. It worked, and he got the woman to the hospital himself and everything went fine. Second time's is a charm, they said.

Grandine gave birth to a little girl, whom they named Wendy. The two girls got home in safety, and Natsu soon grew fond of the baby, too fond sometimes, not giving time for the little Wendy to breathe.

Everything went fine, till Natsu turned eight. His best friend, Lisanna, died of pneumonia. It was too much of a dark experience for a kid to deal with. The boy became agitated, angry, unpredictable, all to mask his sadness.

Unsure of what to do, if he should fight, or let go, Igneel trusted that issue in the two people he trusted more with his son, Grandine and Gildarts. Since Grandine was too busy with Wendy, it was up to Gildarts to guide the little boy through those dark times. He was also more fit because, out of the three, he was the one that best knew Lisanna.

After a while, Natsu got to a consensus of what it would take for him to behave again, also a way of masking his sorrow for the departure of his friend. Gildarts and the boy went to Igneel, where the kid stated his case; he wanted to die his hair pink, just like the pictures he'd seen of his mom. At first, the redhead was completely against, but they reached out to an agreement; at his sixteenth birthday, Natsu could die his hair. Eight years from that moment.

Unfortunately, in practice, eight years go by a lot quicker than it seems, and soon, sixteen-year-old Natsu got to die his hair pink. And eighteen-year-old Natsu found out he got to Todai, thanks to a judo scholarship. It was the biggest party the dragon village had ever seen. It was the actual sign that Igneel has succeeded as a parent; his son was going to the biggest university of the country, while he, at the boy's age, struggled even to eat.

He took from his savings to let Natsu take a trip to Spain the summer proceeding college. He also thanked Gildarts for everything he had done for Natsu over the years. It was clear to everyone to see that the sensei was a second father-figure to the, now, pink-haired boy, and that, without him, Igneel wouldn't have succeeded as a parent. It was a big deal for someone as stubborn as Igneel to admit such a thing, specially to someone who he wasn't particularly fond of. Sadly, that was, probably the last conversation the two had.

Gildarts died in a car accident during a landslide while Natsu was travelling. It was a really sad experience all over town. The man was a town hero, and everyone looked up to him. When Igneel's son came back, he got angry at his father for not telling him in advance. But the anger was just a way to mask his grief and sadness, for losing a father.

Natsu went to Tokyo for school, and things went back to normal. Igneel was happy. He had a family, he had a job, he had a house, and a community. Things were doing very well.

Natsu went home, bringing another boy. As it turned out, he was dating a man. At first, he was afraid of his father's reaction, which actually offended the ginger man, because he didn't know he came off as prejudiced and intolerant. Once everything was settled, he had a talk with the other boy, Gray, and that was it. He actually liked him, he seemed like a nice guy. Unfortunately, for him, it was a father's job to intimidate the man that dated his child.

Things couldn't be going better. Until 6th of July of 2013 came. You see, even though Igneel left the circus years ago, his troupe still visited him every year, on the Dragon Village, to put on a show for the residents. And, of course, Igneel participated in it.

Grandine never liked it. She felt her husband was getting old, and he had a bad leg, the result of building a new room for his son when Wendy came, and that worried her even more. But Igneel never listened to her, and, for all those years, never actually happened.

Except for that night. That final night. The redhead and his friends went to rehearse for the show on the next day. And Igneel went for the trapezium, his old friend. As soon as he grabbed it, so many memories came running back to him; Hiroshi, Orochi and Izumi, all his friends on the crew, Porlyusica, everything passed, running through his eyes. He closed them, took a deep breath, and, grabbing tight to the bar, jumped. How much he missed it, the wind running through his face, as he swung, from one side to another, all those feet away from the ground. It was a sentiment of liberty that nothing could compare to.

But then, that sentiment ended. One of the ropes teared apart, the redhead opened his eyes, but it was too late. All he could see was the roof of the tent getting further and further away, as he fell. There was nothing else he could do, so the man closed his eyes, feeling of all the things he had done, all the people he had meet, all the people he had loved, as his ending didn't arrive.

…

"Okay, stop, this is getting too grim. I'm hormonal." Lucy says, as I can see she tearing up a little bit. I look deep into the woman's eyes and grab her hand, we share a smile.

"So, I guess that's it for the day." I reply, closing the book, that, in reality, is just a bunch of pages stapled together. "And this…" I say, leaning my head towards the woman's belly. "Is the story of your grandfather, baby."

I look up to the pregnant woman once again, and we share a smile one more time, holding one another's hands. Who would've thought Lucy and I would've found a way to become friends, especially after everything proceeding… his death.

I swallow hard as those thought invade my head, and I look at Lucy again, trying to get a distraction. Her belly is really big now, and that's because the baby isn't due to months away.

"He's actually a great writer." I hear the blonde's voice once again, as she is trying to lighten up the mood, realizing the state I'm in and the sudden silence that appeared between us. "I had no idea he had that in him."

"Yeah, I remember getting the same feeling once he showed this to me. But, I guess, that's Natsu for you, always surprising." We giggle with those words.

"You can see he put a lot of sentiment into it. He was never much of a sentimental guy, but…" As she talks, I look down again, forcing a smile, trying not to show how this talk is getting to me. Lucy stops mid-sentence, realizing my state and put a hand on my shoulder, making me look at her. "Do you want to go for an ice cream?" She says, in a clear attempt to make things better. I smile.

"I would love that."


	16. July 7th, 2013 - The Funeral

That night would go down in history as one of the hardest of my life.

Natsu kept hugging me, and crying, I didn't think he would ever stop. Alongside with his sobbing, there was also the noise of his phone ringing. It was probably Grandine calling again, after the first call was abruptly interrupted. The hardest of the situation was what was being left unsaid. I didn't need my boyfriend's words, I got what was going on. But the fact that what happened kept floating in the air, without words to concretize it, made everything grimmer.

After twenty minutes of Natsu carving his nails to my back, sobbing uncontrollably, as I figured out what to say, before realizing it was best to just be there for him and let him express his emotions, leaving us in complete silence, the pink-haired boy finally stopped crying, letting me go. He looked deep into my eyes, trying to remain strong, while I retributed the look, deepening my eyes into his green lobes, getting lost there for a second, trying to distract myself from the helpless expression the boy was putting on.

Natsu finally sat down again on the bed, leaving me free to spill the deep breath I was holding onto inside my chest, in respect for his pain. I walked to the other side of the bed, with my eyes still aiming at the boy, in concern and went for my phone. Seven unanswered calls.

I dialed Grandine back, still focusing on the pink-haired boy. She said hello to me in a desperate tone, making me come back to whatever I was doing from the fixating look I was giving my boyfriend and all the thoughts of concern running wild inside my head. It was hard to focus on something else when the person you were talking to on the other line sounded so hopeless.

Still looking at my boyfriend, I walked out of the room, closing the door, as I tried to talk with his stepmom, trying to spare him from the conversation, as a sign of respect.

Having to hear to Grandine talk was one of the most painful things I ever had to do. She sounded a mess, overall. Yelling, and crying, and trying to maintain herself calm, and failing miserably, as she explained to me exactly what happened. It was a trapezium accident. The rope teared apart. My heart tied up with guilt, as I heard the agony on her voice trying to explain everything to me. I jumped in when she became desperately crying. There was no need for things to get explained at that moment.

The only time the woman sounded certain about anything, was when I asked her if we should go to the Village. My boyfriend's stepmother was assertive when telling me she had too much on her plate already, and that we should wait till morning to go on a trip. Completely lost in the midst of that chaos, I simply obeyed, and let her go.

My heart pounded hard when I went to grab the doorknob to my room, picturing what I would find; the person I loved as I'd never seen him before; desperate, lost, confused, and just outright suffering. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, before opening that door.

"What are you doing?" I asked, uncertain if I should, seeing Natsu up on his feet dressing himself.

"Getting ready." He turned around to me, looking down, focusing on buttoning his flannel. "You don't have to go if you don't want to." My body shivered from head to toe as I heard those words, in direct contradiction with the order Grandine had just given me. I wasn't sure if I was ready to do that.

"Natsu…" I tried to keep an unaltered tone when approaching him.

"Don't even try it." He cut me, abruptly, as I walked towards the boy.

"Natsu…"

"I know what you're trying to do. I'm going." He unleashed his arm from me as I touched his shoulder, still not looking at my direction.

"Hey…"

"No!" His shout echoed all around the room, pushing me, as the calmness the man was trying to convey cracked. He looked up to me, in desperation, with his eyes all red and watery, making my body tremble one more time, and my heart race from under my chest, at the sight of that angry, desperate, unpredictable Natsu I wasn't sure how to deal with. "Don't you try to say anything!" He pointed his finger at me, as I fixated my eyes at the pink-haired boy, a few steps away. I raised my hands up, in a peace sign, as I cautiously walked over to him. His arm fell and he looked down from tiredness, breathing deeply as I approached.

"Natsu…"

"No…"

"Natsu, look at me."

"No…"

"Natsu…" I grabbed him by his cheeks and made him face me, directly in my eyes.

"My father just died, god dammit!"

Both our faces cracked, as those words echoed in between the walls around us. None of us saw that coming, as I could notice from the surprise expression Natsu gave to his own words, as he deepened his popped eyes at mine's direction, with his mouth opened, completely shocked with what had just came off from his mouth. All of a sudden, it became real.

And I let go of his face and grabbed him for a hug, getting out of my trance, as I soon as I noticed he was about to melt down again. Natsu retributed the hug with all he'd got, pressing my back around his arms, as his tears fell and his sobbing came back.

"Natsu, listen to me…" I began softly whispering on his ear. "I have no idea how you must be feeling. I can only imagine how hard it must be. But I just talked to Grandine, she is suffering too, you know? And she has a lot to deal with right now. So, she asked me to wait until tomorrow, okay? Can we do that? We'll go there first thing in the morning. Are you okay with that?"

He agreed with his head, amongst the tears that kept running down his face. We stayed hugging a little bit longer, until finally tiring ourselves out. Natsu went to bed and I covering him, gently, right before finally putting some clothes on and turning the lights off. I cautiously lied down next to my boyfriend, in the same direction his body was pointing, pressing my body against his back and holding his hand.

Lying there, in the dark, with my head spinning around so many thoughts popping up in it, I started tearing up, before even realizing it. Igneel's face didn't seem to fade away, his threatening expressions, his smile, his scar on the left cheek, his long, red hair and small beard. Even if I got scared by him, he was a good man, nonetheless. The talk he and I shared on the living room when I first went to visit Natsu's was the most persistent memory popping on my brain of all the times me and my father-in-law shared together. Even when Natsu was already snoring, my body was still shivering remembering his voice saying to me; _"Destiny isn't a thing, neither is the 'meant to be' trope of the fairy tales. You have to earn your happy ending, by fighting hard to keep the flame and passion you have for the one you cherish inside of you lighted up"_.

It was hard to sleep with all those memories going around, even harder with Natsu moving and kicking all night, probably troubled with everything that was going on. In the end, I ended up getting hardly any sleep, and woke up at seven in the morning with my boyfriend shaking my body, nervous, saying we had to go.

"Do you want to eat anything?" I asked, from the kitchen, as Natsu sat by the counter, with an indifferent expression on his face, dead eyed. "No? Well, then let's bring something if you get hungry on the way, okay?" Again, no reaction. I turned around to the cabinet, searching for anything edible to put on my bag. "What do you want? Something sweet? Salty?" I asked, going through all the stuff.

"I don't care!" The pink-haired boy shouted, with some difficulty, like he was forcing those words out of his throat.

"Okay." I stopped insisting, getting the message, turning around to my boyfriend. "Here." I threw a white chocolate bar his way. "Before you say anything, Levy called. I told her what was going on, she felt very sympathetic…" Pink head rolled his eyes with those words. "Anyway, she volunteered to go with us, will that be a problem?"

"Whatever." He shrugged. "As long as we go already."

Understanding that Natsu wasn't in a mood for talking, I didn't try to push any conversation on him anymore. We went to the car, in deep silence, and passed by Levy's house. It was the first time I went there. She was waiting for us in front of the building, with Gajeel and Cana.

They seemed very unsure of what to do or say when entering the car, all giving their condolences, to which my boyfriend didn't reply, he didn't even look at them, just stared at his lap, with a dead expression on his face. I was the one that thanked them, with an awkward smile on my lips. At least now they all knew that it wasn't going to be a pleasant ride.

The last thing I asked the green-eyed man was if I could turn on the radio. No reply, so I just went ahead and did it. An Alanis Morissette song came on, and we spent the ride like this, with the songs from the radio filling the grim silence between us, as I made my way to the Dragon Village, driving through a fog and under a cloudy, grey sky. How appropriate.

We got there, finally, after what it seemed like one of the longest trips I had ever taken. Taking a breath of relief, I parked the car in front of Igneel and Grandine's house, although now it was only Grandine's. My heart pounded as those thoughts came to me.

Everyone got out of the vehicle and Natsu led the way to the door. I shivered as he rang the bell, not sure if I was ready for all the emotions waiting to drown us as soon as the door opened. And it did. Grandine opened it, and her eyes immediately met my boyfriend's and they both broke down at the exact same time.

I swallowed hard seeing pink head grabbing his stepmom for a hug, as tears violently fell from both their eyes. They stay like that for a while, as me and my friends awkwardly stared at the two, and a couple of tears starting falling from my own eyes as I saw the two comforting each other while still falling into pieces.

"Go lie down, honey." The woman whispered in Natsu's ear, grabbing tight to his head, getting herself back together, after a few minutes passed. The pink-haired boy did as he was told and walked away, leaving me behind, trembling of nervousness, as the woman, now in front of me looked deep into my eyes. "Gray…"

"Hi…" I went for a hug, grabbing the woman tightly, with small tears falling from my eyes, and she retributed it, sobbing, trying to maintain control this time. "My condolences…" I said that into her ear, taking a deep breath, right before falling into tears.

"I'm so glad you're here…" She said, grabbing my head and kissing me on the cheek. I looked at her eyes once again, and we shared a smile, before letting the other go.

"Grandine, these are our friends, Levy, Gajeel and Cana. This is Grandine, Natsu's stepmom." Everyone greeted one another and we walked into the house. "Do you need help with anything?"

"If you wouldn't mind. I have to cook for the whole town, practically…" As the woman spoke, my eyes got lost on the dinner table. More specifically, on the chairs by the left side, where Igneel and I had a heart to heart conversation the year before, when Natsu took me there to meet his family. Images of that talk popped by all over my head, just like the night before. Suddenly, I felt a touch, waking me up from my trance. "Are you okay?" Grandine's voice into my ear brought me back to the present.

"Yes." I babbled, unconvincingly, still kind of lost about where I was. "Yes, I am." I insisted, looking at my boyfriend's stepmom's face. "Anyway, shall we?"

"We can help, too." Levy volunteered.

"Oh, thanks dear. But there is no need…"

"No, please. It's the least we could do…" The blue haired girl insisted.

"Oh, thank you. I like your hair, it reminds me of my daughter." The older woman said, as we four walked into the kitchen.

Grandine explained us what to do and assigned everyone jobs. I would cut the vegetables with her, and so, she and I walked towards the balcony to do just that.

"Where is Wendy?" I asked, slicing up the tomatoes.

"She is at a friend's house. She spent the night there. I haven't told her till this morning…" I realized how the green-haired woman's hand started shaking as she told me that story, to the point where she violently had to drop the knife. "I'm sorry…" She looked the other way, tearing up a little, not wanting me to see her like that.

"It's okay." I tried to calm her down, putting my arm around her shoulders. "Why don't you get some rest? You must be really tired…"

"Oh no…"

"Please. We won't burn the food, I promise…" She giggled a little, drying out her tears. I turned her body over to mine, so I could face her directly in the eyes. "We got this. You deserve to rest. You are one of the people who are suffering the most about this, is not fair that you're also the one carrying everything on your back…"

"All right…" Grandine said, after a few seconds of silence, facing down. Then, she looked up again, aiming her black eyes directly at mine, and putting her hand on my cheek. "The cookbook is on the counter, the receipts are marked, you just have to check. I trust you with this. Please, don't let me down."

"I won't." I smiled, and kissed her forehead.

"Wake me up at two o'clock, on the dot!"

"Got it!" I shouted at her as she moved out of the kitchen, towards her room, and turned back to the tomatoes, slicing them, taking a deep breath to maintain myself calm and focused.

I closed my eyes, and another memory came into my mind, as the sounds around me slowly faded away, and I was transported back to that day. The day Natsu took me to the Village for the first time. He was so nervous to have me around his dad, unsure of how Igneel would react if he found out. And it was right on that kitchen that he caught we both kissing, with a shocked expression on his face. I was by Natsu's side when he told his father the truth, when he came out, so to speak. It was one of the tensest moments of my life. I hoped for the floor to open and swallow me whole.

"Are you okay?" Again, a touch on my shoulder was enough to pull me back to the present moment, as I violently opened my eyes.

"Yes." I automatically replied, involuntarily slicing another piece of the tomato, abruptly, making the knife slam against the table.

"Okay, I don't know if working with a knife is the best thing for you to do right now." Levy said, putting the tool down.

"I swear to you, I'm fine." I looked over to the small woman beside me.

"You don't look that great." She insisted, making me tremble. "And, no one would blame you if you were a bit shook by all of this. You've been dating Natsu for what? Two years? A year and a half? I'd take that you interacted with his father quite a lot…"

"Levy, I'm fine!" I replied, assertively, picking back the knife. "Besides, they are the ones that get to mourn right now. Not me. My job here is to facilitate everything for them, not make it about me." With that being said, I turned back to the tomatoes once more and went back to slicing them.

"All right." The girl backed down and grabbed the other knife, helping me, like Grandine was doing before. "Can I ask you something?" She said, after a couple seconds of silence between us.

"Sure."

"How was he? Natsu's dad? Did you have a nice relationship with him?"

"Oh, wow." I sighed, not sure if I was quite ready to answer that question. Looking up, I tried to work out on what to say. "Igneel was… pretty terrifying, actually." I giggled with my own answer. "I remember almost peeing my pants when I met him for the first time. But, with time…" I paused, swallowing hard, trying to contain myself. "I continued almost peeing my pants whenever I met him." We both laughed this time. "But I knew he had a heart of gold, even with the threatening expression constantly on his face. I mean, he had the craziest life. He worked on a travelling circus when he met Natsu's mom, and she ran away with him. And then, she died during labor, and he had to raise Natsu all alone. He almost gave up one day. He would give Natsu to his maternal grandparents, but then, the bus broke, right here in the Village, and he thought it was a sign or something, and he decided to raise Natsu, right here."

"Oh, wow." Levy sighed.

"He also liked to toy with people, normally me. He knew I was scared as shit of him, so he kept telling me these fake stories about his past and crazy things he did." I smiled remembering that. "The best one was where a rival circus kidnapped him and a couple of his friends and forced them to have sex with the animals to get set free." I wasn't looking at the blue-haired girl as I said those words, but I knew her jaw had dropped. "I was just so creeped out when he told me this, and the way he told it, executing every word to get me even more frightened. And Natsu kept instigating him too, laughing whenever I fell for one of those stupid pranks." Silent tears were already fallen from my eyes as I said those things. "Igneel was your typical patriarch, just over protective of his family and his children. I knew it was silly, but I just wanted to be accepted by him so bad, you know? To get his stamp of approval. And he made sure I knew I did get it. Even with the jokes and the pranks, he always tried to counterbalance them with serious moments, heart to heart talks, to show me I was welcomed to his family with open arms…" The tears kept falling, but I didn't let myself get intimidated by them, and continued to talk. "And he and Natsu had such a deep relationship, too. I mean, once you've met him and saw the two interacting, you would start to get Natsu so much more. His quirks, his temper, his way of seeing things. They were so much more than father and son, they were… they were the support for one another's life… I guess it makes sense, right? I mean, for a while there it was only the two against the world. Before Grandine, before Wendy. That's why I can't even begin to imagine how he must be feeling…"

My voice got the weakest it could possibly get with that last sentence, and I felt the words slipping from my throat as I could not possibly hold everything together with all those memories and thoughts, and gave in completely to the tears, as they starting falling more violently than ever, and my bittersweet smile faded away, and I looked down, letting go of the knife and putting all of my weight on my hands, as I pressed them against the table looking for support.

Levy passed her arm across my back, pressing her body against mine and lying her head on my arm, trying to comfort me. I had been trying to hold myself together ever since the news hit me, for Natsu, or for Grandine, just letting my eyes tear up a little for the most part. But now that they were out, grieving on their own, and with all those thoughts coming through my head, I finally let myself feel, shrugging that weight off my shoulders, as my whole body shook, as all those feelings I was denying myself to feel ran through it.

After a few minutes like that, once I had gotten calmer, with Levy still hugging me, we were disturbed from our silenced state with a slam on the other side of the kitchen.

"Hey!" The blue haired yelled, as we both turned around to see what happened, seeing Cana and Gajeel arm wrestling. "You better be doing whatever Natsu's stepmother told you to!" I was completely surprised to see that side of the innocent, small girl. Apparently, all that time as Erza's apprentice had payed off.

"Okay, so I get why Gajeel is here…" I whispered, as we turned back to our table, to cutting the vegetables. "But why is Cana here?"

"I can't stop watching her for a while." The blue-haired woman sighed. "She fell of the wagon again, and I had promised to her father I would help her get better…"

"Yeah, how is that holding up? I noticed Cana has lost her sparkle and all…"

"Well, if her sparkle depended on her drinking her way to an alcoholic coma, then I guess we'll have to get used to this spark-less Cana."

"But wouldn't it be wiser to make her start attending AA meetings?"

"I think so to, but his dad says she would never go through with this. Personally, I feel like he is the one that has a problem with admitting to himself and the world that his daughter has a drinking problem."

"I see…" I said, taking one last glimpse at the brunette behind me. "Have you heard about Erza at all?"

"Erza?" Levy asked, a bit confused by sudden change of subject. "Yes, actually. She and Jellal are already in London…" The girl paused, continuing to cut the lettuce, before whispering the next sentence; "Just between us… I'm under the suspicion that things aren't great between them lately…"

"You do?!" I asked, louder than I intended, turning over to the girl, making her give me a sign to be more discreet. "Why do you say this?" This time, I was more careful, whispering the question.

"Just… intuition." The blue haired woman answered, still manipulating the knife on her hands, with a smile that gave me the impression she wasn't telling me everything.

With Levy's newfound leadership sense, we were able to cook everything and not ruin one dish. Grandine gave us her stamp of approval, once waken up, and I went on my way to wake up Natsu on his room. I knocked the door, but there was no reply. I waited a few seconds and opened the door. For my surprise, my boyfriend was already up, looking at his window.

"Hey." I said, walking in, but he didn't reply. I sat down on his bed, facing the other way from him. "Perfect weather, huh?" I asked, referring to the fog outside, alongside with the grey sky, trying to lighten up the mood.

"You shouldn't be here." The pink-haired boy said behind me, in a monotone voice, and I turned around to look at him, surprised, seeing him making drawings on the humid window.

"Natsu…" I went to him, putting my hand on his shoulder.

"No." Pink head unleashed his shoulder, shrinking himself. "I'm serious."

"Where is all of this coming from?" With that question was when I realized there were silent tears running across his face as the boy faced the window. "Huh?" I tried to touch him once more, but again he shrank his arm, and got up, moving to the other side of the room.

"No!" Natsu shouted, facing the other way, turning his back on me.

"I know you're sad and grieving…"

"It's not that!" Pink head's yell echoed across the room.

"So, what is it?" I phrased that question as calmly as I possibly could, not to set my boyfriend off. Apparently, it didn't work, because as soon as those words left my lips, the pink-haired boy broke down into tears. "Babe…" I very cautiously walked to him, slowly putting my hand on his shoulder again, only to have it be shrugged it off by the boy.

"Everyone I love dies!" He shouted in an impulse. What followed was dead silence, only filled with his sobbing, which became even more violently, and he had to support himself, pressing his hand against the wall. I had to take a minute to process that answer, looking deeply at the crying man in front of me.

"…What?" That was all I could say after a couple of seconds to processing what I had just heard. "Natsu…" Once again, I tried landing my hand on his shoulder, only to have it violently shrugged off again. "Natsu, stop that!" Tired of that act, I yelled, assertively, grabbing his two arms roughly and turning the boy towards me. He looked down, refusing to face me, as the tears continued to fall. "Natsu, look at me!" But he didn't listen. "This is ridiculous. I know you're really sad, but…"

"This is not it!" I finally got a response from the green-eyed boy, who shouted and faced me for the first time. "I'm serious…"

"You're not serious, you are delusional…"

"My mother." He shot at me before I got the chance to finish my sentence. "She died giving birth to me!"

"Oh my god, Natsu…" I sighed after a second or two of silence, looking deep at him, realizing things were worse than I imagined.

"And then, Lisanna." He said, once again, not letting me finish my sentence. The boy aimed his green eyes directly at mine, and I could see how broken he was, swallowing hard, as my heart pounded violently inside of my chest. "And then Gildarts…" Now pink head was the one that swallowed hard, searching for the strength to finish his sentence. Seeing his hopeless eyes made my heart break into a thousand pieces. "And then…" His voice weakened out, and all the tears came back, intensely running through his cheeks, and the weight of his head got to him, making him face down, while I watched everything, also crying. I grabbed his head, pulling him closer to me and hugged the boy with all my strength, as he lied it on my shoulder.

"It's okay…" I tried to sell that as convincingly as possible with a weak voice and tears running down my face, kissing his cherry-treed set of hair. "It's okay. Everything is going to be okay. I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying here with you. And we're going to get through this, okay?" I asked, still grabbing his face tightly and taking a deep breath, smelling his hair.

We stayed like that for a while. Natsu's sobs echoed all across the room, as he buried his face on my shoulder, and I continued to hold tight to his head, waiting for him to calm down, while silent tears were also falling from my eyes.

After the pink-haired boy got calm, we exchanged our clothes for the black suits we brought with us and got out of the house, to go to the body preparation ceremony.

We walked towards the town square. Grandine led the way, with me and Natsu following her, with our hands together, and our friends behind us. The streets were cold and foggy, which was very unusual for that time of the year, plus very deserted. Going through all that fog and silence it was like walking on a ghost town.

With time, some people popped by next to us, all dressed in black. It was like they were waiting on us to pop by so they could accompany us. They wished their condolences and we continued following our path in silence.

By the time we arrived on the square, a lot of people were already there, sitting on the grass, or standing, surrounding the place which explained why everywhere else was so empty. The whole town seemed to be there, and that was because it wasn't that big of a square, so it made it look even more crowded. From afar, my eyes met Mirajane, she was wearing the same black dress she wore the last time I met her on that place, and her brother was sitting beside her.

My eyes popped when I saw what was on the center of the place, in front of the dragon statue. A met was stretched out on the grass, and lying on it, it was him. Igneel's body, in plain sight. His red hair running through his neck, his small beard, even the scar on his cheek. It was really grim to watch him like this, lying there, unconscious, for everyone to see. It made everything more real. More final. That man with whom I had that conversation a year ago was really gone. Lying dead, right in front of my eyes. Right in front of all the Village's eyes.

I pressed Natsu's hand harder when seeing his father there, taking a glimpse at him, worried. He swallowed hard and retributed the squeeze I gave him, pressed my hand so hard it started to hurt, but that was not the time to complain. Pink head was clearly tense, but trying not to show it, which made me even more worried.

Levy touched my shoulder, making me turn to her. The blue haired girl made a sign, showcasing that she and our friends would stay there, in the back. I smirked in return, as my boyfriend's stepmom led the way, passing through all the people, in their black outfits, sitting on the grass, giving us sympathetic looks. A deep silence surrounded us, as we walked past everyone, with their eyes watching us move towards the body, lying in the middle of the town.

"I can't believe they came!" Grandine whispered a complaint, as we continued on our way, discreetly peaking at a group of odd figures standing up on the side walk, dressed in black, watching the scene unravelling before their eyes.

"It's okay…" Natsu tried to calm his stepmom down, grabbing her shoulder and whispering on her ear.

As we got to the front, my whole body shivered, seeing Igneel lying there right in front me. I could look down on the grass and see his corpse lying there really clearly now. Everything got to extra levels of horrific by the fact that his face was all busted, probably from the fall, with bruises and stitches. My whole underbody got weak and for a second there I thought I was either going to fall or throw up, or even both. Then a sobbing sound took me from my state of shock. I looked to the side and Grandine had started to cry, trying to keep control. My eyes went to Natsu and I noticed he was trying really hard to keep control, but his eyes were also watery.

"Mom!" A shout echoed through the silent square, and everyone there present moved their heads at the same time towards the direction of the yell, to see Wendy running towards her mother, wind blowing her blue locks and black dress, grabbing the older woman tight for a hug. That was when I noticed she was also crying, uncontrollably.

"Oh honey! It's okay. I'm here, I'm here." Grandine tried to calm her child down, retributing the hug.

That was when the mortician came, and we all sat down. I let the family lie on the center and I sat a bit behind, with the roll of people sitting behind them, on the grass. A lot of crying could be perceived as that man prepared Igneel's body. He must've been a really well-regarded person amongst the village community, talking in account how moved a lot of those people seemed to be, watching his departure.

I was more scarred than sad. Mostly because that threatening, stiff, harsh-on-the-outside-but-secretly-a-really-good-person man I once met, had conversations and who welcomed on his family was lying deceased right in front of me, with his body all injured as the result from the terrible accident that took his life.

I took one last glimpse at Natsu as the man was dressing his father's body, which was once covered with a white fabric, with a suit. The green-eyed boy seemed to be trying to hold his emotions on to himself, as his sister and stepmother let their tears free, hugging one another.

After it was all done, the people there present were given the chance to say their last goodbyes. Grandine went first, she thanked him for all the years they spent together and deposited a kiss on his forehead. Wendy was next, she said she really loved her father and would miss him forever, kissing him on the forehead as well. After that, Natsu went to his dad. My heart started to pound harder, as I saw the boy kneel in front of the ginger man's body.

"Dad…" Pink head's boy voice weakened by the end of that word, as he clenched his fists really hard, trying to maintain control, but it failed; instead, my boyfriend's tears started to fall once again, as his sobbing could be heard all across that silent square. He stayed like that for a while, trying to get his strength back to say something, but never succeeding, always falling back to desperately crying. Unsure of my own moves, I decided to move closer to him, after a few minutes of watching the green-eyed man uncontrollably cry. I passed my arm around his waist, and could feel his body shiver in surprise, as he looked at me with his side-eye, tears still falling from his eyes. I lied my head on his shoulder, to show I was there for him. "Thank you… for everything…" He said, with difficulty, taking deep breaths, trying to get calmer.

As soon as those words left his lips, he came back to crying, but, this time, more calmly, breathing sparely, as I pressed my body harder against his. I took my face out of Natsu's shoulder and looked at his face, as he looked down, his skin all red and water falling from his green eyes. And in that moment, when I wanted nothing more but to hold my boyfriend in my arms and comfort him until he smiled again, I remembered another thing Igneel had said to me on our conversation;

" _Tell me you'll always be willing to fix things up, and to apologize, and to never turn your back on him, no matter how hard it may get."_

I could listen to his voice perfectly on my ears, and a bittersweet smile took over my face, as I watched at my boyfriend cry, with tear popping up on my own eyes. I grabbed pink head's hand, holding it tightly, taking one last glimpse at him, still smiling, before turning to my father-in-law.

"I'll do my best, sir." My voice got weak mid-sentence, as the tears started falling. I felt Natsu squeezing my hand, and I turned to him once more, and we shared a tearful smile, before getting back to the people behind us.

We spent the rest of that ceremony holding hands, as he rested his pink locks on my shoulders, getting calmer, and we watched more and more people get close to his dad, crying, and saying stuff to him; talking to him, one last time. They say it's in moments like that that we can finally see how much life's we touched. If that was the case, Igneel sure did touch a lot of lives. Mine included.

After that part was done for, the mortician carefully picked the redhead's body and moved him toward the coffin, which was also lying on the grass. We walked towards it, seeing the man being lied down inside the wooden container. Before closing, however, Grandine kneeled down and opened her bag, picking objects and putting on the coffin with her husband. Other people did the same as her, picking objects that probably reminded them of Igneel or had something to do with him. Amongst it, I noticed a couple of pictures. One of the man with Natsu's mom, other with Grandine, two separate pictures, each one showcasing Igneel with one of his children, separately, and one with the whole family together. I also noticed when Wendy put a couple of violets on top of her father's chest.

"Are we all done?" The grey-haired woman asked.

"No, I have one last thing." My boyfriend said, like he just remembered what it was. He kneeled down on one knee and, from his pocket, he picked a tiny, red ball and putted on the casket with his father. I immediately realized it as the lucky ball, which pink head was playing with when we first met. He annoyed me so much that I picked it from his hand and threw away. That was when everything started. A smile formed on my lips and a single tear fell from my left eyes at the same time, with that memory coming back to me.

Grandine gave us directions to go back to her house, and a couple of people helped raise the coffin and walk with it till there; between them was me, Natsu, Elfman and Gajeel. I walked side by side with pink head, and he came back to being his quiet, reserved self, not wanting to open his emotion gap again. I looked at him as we raised the wooden crate, unsure if I should say something to try to distract him from that depressed state or not. After a while undecided, I couldn't take that morbid silence between us anymore.

"Can I ask you a question?" I asked, hesitantly.

"Sure." The boy replied with a monotonous tone of voice, looking down at his own steps with dead eyes.

"That ball… The one you put on the casket, the one you were playing with, when we met… What's its story?"

"Oh…" I thought a spark would appear on his eyes with that question, or at least a friendly smile, but neither of these things happened. He just kept looking at the ground as he walked, with his taciturn way of grieving. "When we first got here, on our first day, actually, when our bus broke down… My father walked to me through town, trying to get me to calm down and stop crying. He saw that ball for sale and bought it for me, in an attempt to get me distracted and calm. It worked. And after that he would always give me the ball whenever I burst into tears and all."

"Oh…" I said, turning the other way.

" _Then_ ," He continued, making me turn back to the boy, realizing the story wasn't over. "I ended up outgrowing it with time and all. I forgot about its existence, even. But…" Natsu paused, hesitating, swallowing hard, as I shivered, thinking I had set a trigger or something, seeing how his eyes became to get watery. "When Lisanna died, I kept really sad for a long while. Not knowing what to do, one day he entered into my room and put the ball inside my bed. He had kept it. It was a joke at first, but I held onto it, and whenever I would feel sad I would pick it up again…" Natsu couldn't keep his tears in anymore, and sobbed, pausing his story.

"I'm sorry…" I proclaimed, feeling my body still trembling, with guilt. "I didn't mean to…"

"No, it's okay…" The boy assured me, getting his grip back together. "That ball started to become an amulet for me with time… I would have it with me whenever I was sad, anxious or just wishing for luck… Needless to say it never worked…" He finished his sentence and I could feel the pain on his voice. It was almost rage. Natsu looked away, pointing the back of his head, with his pink locks, to me, as I could only settle for swallowing hard, guilty, wishing I had left it well enough alone.

Luckily, we soon reached his home. Grandine asked to put the coffin on the small garden besides the house. It was hardly a garden, it was only a grassy land with fences surrounding it, and a bench was the only thing there, except for, now, the coffin.

The grey-haired woman put a picture of her late husband on top of the crane and a belt beside it. She bowed down, lighted up an incense, said an inaudible prayer and rang the bell. One by one the guests repeated that ritual and went to talk to the family members, who were waiting by the door, wishing their condolences one last time, before walking onto the house.

It was quite uncomfortable standing there with Grandine, Wendy and Natsu as all those people would go there talk to them. I felt like an intruder, I wasn't _exactly_ a family member, and I didn't want to barge in on such an emotional moment. I kept looking on them to see if they would express a discomfort with my presence there, but none of them did, so I just stood there with them, trying not to let my worries show and stay serious, but I got more and more uncomfortable every time someone would get to us and give me a confused look, not quite getting why I was there in the first place.

They would also give the grey-haired woman an envelope with money, before entering the house. It's a custom in Japan, during a funeral, to give money to the deceased's family, as a way to help with its expenses.

After that part of the ceremony was all done with, we all could go back inside the house. Since the living room was too small, everyone gathered outside, by the sidewalk. People had brought tables from their own houses, joining them together in order so everyone could sit.

I sat down by Natsu's side, as he just stayed there, not eating, not talking, just quietly sitting, not even expressing any emotion, keeping an apathetic look on at all times. I grabbed his hand to show the boy I was there with him, but he didn't even bother to respond to that. From time to time I would notice some people looking at us, probably estranging a homosexual couple there, but I had bigger stuff to care about than a couple of confused and prejudiced looks.

As everyone ate, stories about Igneel began to be shared. People cried, laughed, sometimes both, but my boyfriend stayed the same, remote from whatever was going on.

Mrs. Akashi told about he first came to town, with Natsu on his laps, and crashed on her hostel, working for half payment in order to get a room. Mr. Kuroki remembered about when he helped Igneel reform his house, when he bought it because the ceiling had fallen and the price was really cheap. Aki told everyone about how the ginger man was his favorite teacher in high school and helped him get through his depression when his grandmother died. Another student, Hiro, told everyone about how Igneel helped him not flunk math by showing him that sports and calculus weren't so different.

At some point, two of his friends from the bar, started singing a song, as one of them played guitar.

 _Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone_ _  
_ _Suzanne, the plans we made put an end to you_ _  
_ _I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song_ _  
_ _I just can't remember who to send it to_ _  
_

_I've seen fire and I've seen rain_ _  
_ _I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end_ _  
_ _I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend_ _  
_ _But I always thought that I'd see you again_

Suddenly, pink head got up abruptly and walked inside the house. Confused, I got up and went after him, sitting by his side, on the couch, with my plate of dessert in hands.

"Are you sure you don't want mousse?" I offered, stretching my plate at his direction.

"I'm good."

Before I could reply, however, Grandine entered the house, finding us.

"Oh, there you boys are." The grey-haired woman said, sitting by my side. "I know this is hardly the best time to talk about this, but I just wanted to let you know, Natsu, that you can take your father's motorcycle as soon as all of this is done." The woman expressed a bittersweet smile, taking a breath. "I always thought that think was an atrocity… Anyway, you can take it with you as soon as you decide to leave. And listen, will your friends stay for tomorrow? If so, Mrs. Akashi needs to know in advance…"

"Tomorrow?" I heard Natsu ask, finally changing his tone of voice from the bored, monotonous one he kept on using.

"Yes. The cremation." I could hear pink head's sigh of surprise from behind me. If he really had forgotten about that, things were worse than I thought.

"Oh…" He tried to disguise his confusion. "…Right."

"Listen, I have ordered a tombstone to be installed on the garden. I'll put his ashes on top of it…" I swallowed hard, looking at the woman saying those things, imagining those wore the last things my boyfriend wanted to discuss by then. I turned around to see if he was okay, putting my hand on his thigh. His eyes were lost, like he was completely unaware of what was being said around him. "Oh, I got it. I'm sorry to bother you guys…" Natsu's stepmom soon started to understand what was going on and got up from the couch, getting out of the house once more.

"Are you okay?" I immediately asked, as soon as Grandine got out of our sights, grabbing his hand.

"I…" He tried to phrase something, but seemed too weak to do so. "I…"

"No!" A big shout coming from the sidewalk took us away from our private chat. It was Grandine's voice. We shared a look of confusion and went outside to see what was going on.

"Grandine, please…" A man insisted with her. He had a brown beard and was wearing a bandana on his head. His suit seemed too tight on him, like he borrowed it or something, and he had a scar on his face, just like Igneel. Behind him, a set of curios people were apprehensive. Soon I remembered seeing them on the square earlier. "It wasn't our fault!"

"Please, Kenji, spare me! Haven't you got any basic human decency?! Does the norms of society don't apply on you circus freaks?!" With that yell, I suddenly got what was going on. That was why they seemed so strange. I started taking a deep look on that set of people, and the more I looked, the odder they got. Soon I realized everyone was watching that fight unravel. "Please, go! You caused great amount of pain on this family already!"

"Grandine…"

"Go!" She pointed her finger. "I am the matriarch of this family, and I don't want you here!" The woman's shouts became weaker, as she became tearing up, desperately. I put my hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down. "You are disturbing me and my guests!" I looked over to the man and he was crying too. Him and all of his friends, actually.

"Fine…" He sighed, looking down. "Let's go, guys."

It broke my heart seeing that unusual set of people walking away, on the streets, disappearing on the dark, as everyone there looked at them go. My attention soon came back to Natsu's stepmother, when she burst back into the tears. I turned around to her, seeing the tears falling from her eyes and running from her cheeks, as she sobbed and sighed, like she got really tired all of a sudden, breathing deeply and arching her back. She looked around to all of us, and it was like her face cracked, as she was reminded where she was and that she just pulled on a scene for everyone to see.

"I… I…" Like my boyfriend moments before, she tried to phrase a sentence, to explain herself, as her eyes ran on all of us, but she couldn't say anything, only gasp for air. Finally, she walked inside the house and the last thing she heard was a door slam, whilst everyone stayed outside, exchanging looks.

"Gray!" I suddenly heard Natsu calling me, feeling the weight of his hand on my shoulder, as I turned my face to him, surprised. "Go talk to her."

"…What?" I asked, completely confused, as my eyes met his green lobes.

"Go talk to Grandine. I'll go after them, explain everything…" I stayed confused for a couple of seconds, until finally realizing what was going on. A smile grew on my lips, as I noticed my boyfriend finally got out of his passive state, deciding to take some action.

"Got it." I went inside the house, like the pink-haired boy asked me to, and knocked on his dad and stepmom's door. "Grandine?" I insisted.

"Yeah?" I finally heard she replying, so I slowly opened the door, putting my head inside the room. "Oh, Gray. Come in." She said, sitting by the side of her bed, with a tissue, drying out her tears.

"Hi. Are you okay?" I asked, cautiously going to sit by her side.

"I…" She took a deep breath, before responding. "I just feel so stupid…" With those words, I grabbed her shoulders, trying to comfort her. "I just… I'm just so mad, and angry… Like I have so much rage built up inside of me I don't even know how to channel it… And I know it isn't their fault, I just… I just want to yell at someone, have somebody to blame for all of this, you know?" She looked deep into my eyes, as I smirked, sympathetically. "I'm mad at _him_ , mostly." She giggled, nervously, with those words. "But I can't just push his ear, and yell at him and give him the silent treatment, because…" Suddenly, her voice got weak again and the tears started to pop up again. "Because he is not here!" With those words, all the tears building up on the corner of her eyes suddenly fell, and she came back to uncontrollably crying.

"It's okay. It's okay…" I lied her head on my shoulder, and gently caressed her set of grey hair.

"He is just so stupid! I told him he shouldn't do it. I've been telling him forever! Something was bound to happen!"

"I can only imagine how you must be feeling. And, I know when stuff like this happen we get angry for no reason, and we get all these feeling building up inside of us, that we don't know how to channel… So, we create targets on our heads, we create excuses, justifications, only so we can get a reason, something to blame, something concrete…" As I said those things I started to remember that day on my mother's house, when I found out she chose to keep from me my father wishes to meet me. I got so mad, and so sad. I got so many feeling inside of me I didn't even know how to feel them. I just completely lost control. I blamed her, I blamed me, I blamed him. I blamed everyone and everything. "But, one day, we have to accept that, life is complicated. Everyone has their truth, everyone has their own versions of the same story, everyone has their excuses. It would be much simpler if things were black and white, and things weren't blurry and confused, but they aren't… So, we just have to get to terms with that. It's hard, but…" I looked down at the woman, calming down on my shoulder. "Once we understand that's how it goes, everything gets so much easier…"

"You are so intelligent…" She looked at me. "Look at me, a forty-year-old teacher getting advice from a boy in diapers." Those words made us both laugh. "How did you get so smart?" Grandine looked directly towards my eyes, taking her head out of my shoulder.

"I just… Whenever I see someone looking for advice I try to remember how I felt in a similar moment of my life and what I would've liked to hear then…"

"You are a really special kid, Gray." The woman said, still aiming her eyes at mine, putting her hand on my cheek, gently. "Igneel felt so too. He didn't say anything, because, well, he didn't talk much about those things. But the way he looked at you, the way he treated you… I knew he was actually glad there's someone like you in Natsu's life…" My heart pounded hard inside my chest as I heard those words, and we shared a smile.

Suddenly, the moment was interrupted by a cellphone beep. I took it out of my pocket, to see what was it.

 _"I'm sorry, I can't do this."_

"What?" I asked to myself, in confusion, reading the message my boyfriend had just sent me.

"Is everything okay?" The woman by my side asked, and I showed her the text. With my head still spinning around my head I got out of the room, unsure of what I was even doing, and walked outside the house.

"Where is Natsu?" I asked, louder than I intended, letting my preoccupation show, as my head started to hurt and my breathing got deeper. I looked around towards everyone, who had their eyes focused on my, as I started to see everything blurry.

"Gray." I heard someone call my name, and looked to the side, seeing Levy standing there. I jumped in fright seeing the blue haired woman popping out of nowhere. "He just got on a motorcycle and drove away. I didn't know if I was supposed to be worried or not…"

"Oh, fuck!"

"Gray." I heard someone call me from behind. Turning around, I saw Grandine standing by the door of the house. "You should go. Go check if he is okay." Her eyes were also deep in worry, as she started to tear up a little.

I looked deep to the woman's face in front of me, breathing heavily, getting distracted on her expression and my own thoughts of concern, forgetting for a few seconds where I was or what I was supposed to do, entering a real state of shock, as everything around me started to spin and all I could focused on was the lighting, and everything else started to dissolve away.

Suddenly, a touch on my shoulder made a shockwave go through my spine and I got back to reality, turning around to see Levy once again popping out of nowhere. Still lost and crying without even realizing that was what I was doing, my eyes met hers and I reminded myself of where I was and what I had to do.

Saying goodbye to Grandine, and getting Natsu's stuff that he left behind, me and my friends walked inside my car, turning it on and hitting the accelerator, as I tried to control my breathing and stay focused on the road in front of me. It was going to be a long ride.

"Are you sure you don't want any of us to drive?" The small woman asked me from the back sit, with a worried voice.

"No. I got this." I determinately said, trying to not get distracted, with my hands grabbing the steering wheel really hard. The rest of the trip occurred in morbid silence, as I made my way back to Tokyo, and thoughts of concern kept popping on my head.

I left my friends at Levy's place and continued my way towards mine and Natsu's building, praying to god or whatever greater than life forces that might exist that he would be there. The more I got closer to our neighborhood, the more tension built up inside my chest, and the possibility of my boyfriend not being there became more probable to me, and my breathing got heavier and the tears on the corner of my eyes, waiting to fall, multiplied.

I started driving faster, finally reaching our street and parking the vehicle. I walked towards the edifice with fast speeded steps, as stress took over my body more and more. When I finally got to the building's entrance, my eyes popped. Igneel's green motorcycle was parked exactly there.

Seeing that vehicle right in front of my eyes was like a huge weight finally fell from my shoulders and my lungs were unclogged. I could finally breathe again, and so, I took a deep breath of relief, feeling my whole-body shake as I did that and suddenly all the weight of my body concentrated on my legs and I felt like I would fall, so I grabbed tight to the green automobile, supporting myself on it, as all the tears I was collecting on my eyes finally fell, now that my preoccupations went away and I could finally feel again.

After I got my grip back, I walked inside the building and made my way towards pink head's apartment, more secure of my own moves, but still on a sort of cathartic state after clearing my system of all those feelings.

"Natsu?" I asked, knocking on his door. "Natsu, are you there?" But no answer. I kept insisting, knocking and calling his name, but nothing.

After a few minutes, I gave up on getting a reply and just tried to open the door. Luckily for me, it wasn't locked, and I was able to walk on that apartment. I never thought I would be so relieved to be able to step on that place. Once again, I arched my back and took deep breaths, being able to breathe again, in the middle of that dark living room.

Getting myself back together once more and my body all aching after that feelings roller coaster ride, I cautiously walked towards his room, hoping he would be there and all that suspense would be over. Closing my eyes right before grabbing his doorknob and taking one last breath, I opened it as quickly as possible to get that over with.

"Oh, thank god…" I said, amongst heavy breaths, seeing the pink-haired boy lying on his bed, in the dark.

I took off my shoes and lied there with him. I knew the boy wasn't sleeping, but he wasn't showing any reaction to my presence there either, just staring the other way. I got closer to him, pressing my body against his back and grabbed his hands. That was when I noticed Natsu was silently crying, just letting his tears fall as he lied there, immobile.

I squeezed his hand hard, and let my own tears fall, closing my eyes hard, making the water run down on my cheeks and breathing as heavily as I could, trying to get calm. And we stayed there, lying beside one another on the dark, letting the other express his feelings, just taking comfort by the fact that the other man was present.

As much as I loved Natsu, I had never been so happy to see him as I was on that moment.


	17. April 13th, 2013 - The Father

There I was again. Inside of my car. Parked on that same street on that same spot, as I been doing for the past four months. It was surprisingly hot that day, and the sun up in the sky was cooking up me and my boyfriend inside that old vehicle I had gotten for my birthday.

"Fuck!" Natsu complained, taking his sweater off. "It's so fucking hot in here."

"I know, right…" I agreed, turning down the air conditioner, as he looked at me, trying not to show his disappointment.

It had been exactly two months and twenty-four days ever since I found out about my father's existence. I mean, I always knew he existed, somewhere, but two months and twenty-four days ago I discovered that he actually wanted to make contact with me, and also, his address.

Ever since that, I had driven to his street, in Chiba, at least once a week, in the hopes I would finally have guts in me to actually get out of my car, knock on his door and introduce myself, so we could finally begin to have a relationship, that was on hold for at least twelve years, when he had started sending my mother letters, manifesting his wishes to get to know me.

After all that time spying on the man, I started to find out stuff about his everyday life. The biggest one, of course, was how he looked. The man seemed to be in his forties or early fifties. He had raven-hair just like mine, that had started growing a bit of grey hair on its corners. The man also had deep, onyx eyes, again, similar to mine, and a short, black beard.

To be honest, he was really similar to me, like an old version of myself, like my mom was to Ultear and Lyon's father was to him. I remember, when I was growing up, nothing made me feel sadder to not knowing my father then to reflect of how similar my siblings were to their parents. Meanwhile, I was just there, not looking like anyone, and fatherless.

My reaction when I saw my father for the first time would forever be attached to my mind. It happened during my second time staking out in front of his house;

…

" _Hey. Hey." Natsu started poking me, as I looked at my phone._

" _What…?" I growled in annoyance._

" _Look!"_

" _What is it?" I asked, taking a deep breath, impatient, and turning around to him. But no explanations were needed, as my eyes popped, looking at the house we've been watching. I leaned my body towards Natsu's sit, almost lying on him, so I could see better._

 _A man was in the garden, cutting the grass. He was in his forties or fifties, seemed to be wearing his pajamas, but, more importantly, he looked just like me. I stopped breathing for a minute, focused on that guy, feeling my eyes water as I watched him._

" _Is that him?" Pink head asked, with my body on top of his._

" _It is…" I replied, in a weak voice, feeling the tears silently run down across my face._

…

Other than that, other things I've found out about him included; he would always have his breakfast outside, on the balcony. He ran as an exercise; and, to be honest, he actually cultivated a fine body, especially for his age. He had a cat, and apparently lived alone. He would go out to work at seven a.m. and wouldn't come back until six p.m..

But, the main thing I found out about that man, and what shook me to my core as I discovered it, was the fact that he had another son. With another woman, who seemed to be his ex-wife. I would also never forget the moment I discovered that. It would go down in history as one of the worst moments of my life.

…

 _It was late at night. That was probably my fifteenth time staking out outside of my father's house. By then it had become almost a rule that I would be there, on that exact same spot, watching that house, at least once a week. I had become obsessed. My thoughts were invaded by that man I had only saw from a distance, that I knew almost nothing about, but already felt so close to._

 _His hair, his eyes, his clothes, his activities, his eating habits, the way he walked. Every time I went to spy on him, I noticed another detail to obsess over, that kept moving around my head, keeping me from focusing on anything else but that. And, as the pieces started to multiply, the more my curiosity grew, and the more I wanted to spend my days there, looking at him, till I had the full puzzle. It was like an addiction, I was never satisfied, and I kept wanting more._

 _Theories had started forming on my brain, as I tried to get the information I had together. I started to wonder how was his day-to-day life. How was family, his job, his life story. I started growing mad with the amount of possibilities forming on my head and my ability to concentrate on another aspect of my life kept reducing._

 _My grades were slacking, my hours of sleeping had decreased significantly, I didn't have any more time to hang out with people. I knew my friends were starting to sense there was something wrong. But they couldn't know. The only person I was willing to share that experience with was my boyfriend, who was more times than not sitting by my side, on that same car I had gotten for my birthday, on that street, peaking at that house with me._

 _I could sense him growing tired of all that. Natsu wouldn't say anything, but I knew. He was also worrying about me, in that position. The truth is he didn't understand, in his head, it didn't make sense why I hadn't got the courage to simply get out of that car, walked to his door and ring the bell._

 _To be honest, I wasn't quite sure why I wasn't able to do that myself, I just froze at that thought whenever I tried to think about that. So, I had to settle for just sitting on my car and taking small glimpse of what was waiting for me in between those walls. It was a preparation, I convinced myself, I was just doing that till I got the courage to get out of the car and get to the next step. Like when you first put your feet on the cold water, trying to get ready to enter it with your whole-body. That was what I was telling myself, anyway._

" _Look, some woman is walking towards the house." Pink head warned me, making me lean towards his seat so I could see better. "Who might she be?" He asked, trying to force some enthusiasm._

" _I don't know…" I went along with it, pretending not to notice he was faking. "And who is that kid?"_

 _I kept staring as the woman, a raven-haired, white-skinned person in what seems to be her thirties, walked towards the house with a kid in her arms. A little boy, probably eight-years-old, who also had black hair. She ringed the bell and waited for it to be opened._

" _Maybe they are neighbors, just paying a visit."_

" _I don't know…" I replied, suspiciously, as I felt my heart speeding up under my chest. "Do you think that maybe…" But before I could end that question the door opened, my father got out and the boy immediately tried to jump at his lap, from his mother's arms._

 _I could not take my eyes off from those people, as the older man grabbed the little kid and started playing with him, shaking his body and kissing his forehead. I involuntarily opened my mouth seeing them, how happy they were. I felt my heart pounding harder and my body starting to shake. Nothing could describe how I was feeling seeing them there, behaving like a family off of a commercial, having everything I wanted to have, and just a couple of steps away. It was like all my fantasies and dreams that I built up on my mind had simply been swallowed away by a dark fog, and I had fell inside a hole, watching all the things I hoped for getting more and more distant as I kept falling, to a dark place._

" _Are you okay?" Those words from my boyfriend were enough to take me back from my state of shock, as, in a split second, I was reminded where I was, and was able to breathe again, and also feel the hot traces of water running down my cheeks. I saw his and mine reflection on the window, realizing how worried Natsu stared at me, and went back to my original sit, trying to ignore my own feelings, not wanting to make a scene out of what had just happened. I pressed my body hard against the seat and closed my eyes, feeling all the tears fall, even though I was trying as hard as I could to keep them in. "What's wrong?"_

" _What's wrong?!" I shouted back the question to the pink-haired man, turning to him, shrugging his hand from my shoulder. I could see in his eyes how shocked the boy was with my sudden change of behavior. "He has a fucking family! That's what's wrong!" We stayed in silence for a while, looking deep into one another's eyes, as I gasped, realizing how loud my scream was. I could see Natsu was shocked in front of me, trying to say something to lighten up the mood._

" _But… Why does this have to change a- "_

" _It changes everything!" I yelled once more, turning to the front of the car in complete despair. "I was so dumb coming here, thinking everything would change if I just walked to that door and rang the bell, and he would hug me and say he loves me, like nothing ever happened, and…" As my talking got faster and faster, my breathing started to decrease and I talked more desperately, until I ran out of air and took a moment to stay calm. Needless to say, it didn't work, as all those angry thoughts kept coming to me, and I felt more desperate and suffocated. "FUCK!" I shouted to the air, channeling all of my frustration to my throat as I looked up and let that sound come from my mouth, pressing hard against the horn, letting its sound mix up with my loud yell, trying to get absorbed to all that noise till all of my frustration went away._

" _Gray…" I heard Natsu's voice come from beside me, once I got calmer, and silence installed itself. I looked down, ignoring the man's call, feeling more tears running down my face. They were calmer tears this time, sadder. Once all the anger went away, that was all that was left. "Gray…" He insisted, but I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone at that point._

 _Then, I heard knocking. Surprised by the sudden noise, I turned around and my eyes met him. The man I had been spying on for so long, the man that looked so much like me it made me cry, the man I wished to have a relationship with, who was also the man that gave birth to me; that man, my father._

 _My heart came back to pounding at full speed, as my eyes immediately popped, seeing him outside of my car, with that kid on his arms, closer than he had ever been. I felt sick, I thought I was either going to vomit or pass out, or both. I couldn't take my eyes off of his direction. I clenched my fists, trying to dug some courage, to prepare me for that moment. Natsu looked back at me, asking for any direction of what to do with his eyes, as we let the brunette man waiting out on the streets. I moved my head, telling him to open the window, so we could deal with that situation. With a sign saying he understood, the boy looked back to the window and lowered it._

" _Is everything okay in here?" My heart pounded once more as I heard his voice for the first time. Another thing to check out from my list, how he sounded like. It was low-pitched standard voice, nothing unusual about it, but I couldn't help but feel a bit moved by it. To finally hear that man's voice, to see him standing there, right in front of me. One step away. Like he was real, unlike the mythical creature I had made of the man in my imagination._

" _Uhhh… Yeah!" My boyfriend tried to think of something to say, as I remained paralyzed just looking at the guy. "We just had a bit of a disagreement on what our route is. But everything is settled now…" Pink head was so nervous as he said those things, it would be almost comical, if I wasn't caught in such a deep state of shock._

 _The man was going to say something, but then, he looked at me. His onyx eyes met mine, and I suddenly forgot how to breathe, or move. I knew I should say something, try to disguise, but I couldn't. I couldn't do anything, as I got lost on the black infinity of his lobes. I could see it in the rest of his face; he felt something, too. He even slipped a small gasp from his lips as he saw me there. And we stayed like that, distracted, looking at each other, for a couple of seconds._

" _Okay…" The man broke the silence, trying to disguise that strange connection we had. But I knew it was real. "Anyway… Good trip…"_

" _Thank you." My boyfriend said, amongst his own nervousness and turned on the car for me. "We should go now." He said to me, trying to disguise the agitation in his own voice. "Right?" He pressed my leg demanding my attention._

" _Huh?" I asked, still shaken from my trance I had just woken up from seconds ago. I met his eyes, realizing the tension on it, getting back to reality once and for all as I realized it. "Right…" I shook my own head and, taking a deep breath, I drove away. My body was still shaking, as I tried to go through on my brain all the shock-induced experiences I had to deal with in a spam of only minutes._

" _That was a close one…" Natsu sighed as we got as far away from there as we possibly could. "Is everything okay?" The boy asked, like he was reminded of all the things that had just happened, putting his hand on my thigh._

" _He knows…" I simply replied, looking deep into the man's eyes._

 _He knew. And that changed everything._

 _We spent the whole trip back to college in deep silence. Pink head didn't know what to say to me at that point, and I outright didn't feel like talking. At that moment, I just wanted to crawl to a far and silent place and lie there forever, or at least, till I got some sort of enlightenment. After what felt like a lot of time, I finally got to park my car. But, as I moved to the door, to finally open it and take a deep breath outside of that vehicle, my boyfriend grabbed my hand. I shivered and rolled my eyes at the same time. That was the last thing I wanted to do by then._

" _Do you want to talk about it?" The boy insisted, seeing as the grabbing of my hand didn't speak for itself, as I kept turned to the other way and didn't do any effort to talk to him._

" _No." I replied, coldly, and made another attempt to open the door, but the man kept insisting._

" _Well, I would like to say something, if you don't mind…" I rolled my eyes hard with those words, and, annoyed, turn around to face the man. I knew what was coming next, something my boyfriend was dying to tell me for a while now. "I know this is hardly any of my business, but…" I swallowed hard with those words. "Don't you think it's time for you to take the next step? I mean, it's been four months, and you haven't made any progress…"_

" _You're right, this isn't any of your business." I abruptly interrupted him and turned around, to open the door._

" _Hey, hey…" Natsu tried to calm things down, putting his hand on my shoulder before I got the chance to get out of the vehicle. "Please… I'm only saying that because I worry about you…"_

" _I just don't get it." Again, I interrupted him in a harsh way, turning around one more time. "When we started this, you said you would respect my decisions. You said you have no idea what a situation like that felt like, so you wouldn't push it!" My tone got harsher, and accusatory as I talked, legitimately hurt by the pink-haired boyfriend's intrusion. "So why are you…"_

" _I know. I know…" He interrupted me this time, as I got ruder with every word I said, trying to get me to calm down. "I'm just saying that because I think you got to a point where these stakeouts are doing more damage than helping, you know? It's hurting you to see your dad there, a couple of steps away, and not interacting with him…" We stayed in silence for a couple of seconds, looking into one another's eyes, as mine had started to water, thanks to that conversation, that had deeply annoyed me._

" _You're right." I broke the silence, with a hurtful voice. "It isn't any of your business."_

 _I slammed the door and left the boy behind._

…

After that incident, I spent a while without staking out outside of my father's house. I was delusional about everything. It was like all the hopes, dreams and fantasies I have built up on my head had shattered into million pieces, and all I wanted to do was to get over it, forget ever happened and move on with my life.

Needless to say, it didn't work as well as I planned. For starters, I became sort of depressed with the whole thing. I was grumpy, nothing could bring me joy anymore. I didn't feel like doing anything, not even eating or getting out of the bed. The thing that was the main motivation of my life for weeks, suddenly fell flat, living me with nothing. It was hard to get over it. Made harder by the fact that it was all I thought about, whenever I closed my eyes, I saw that man, that I had only seen from afar, but seemed so real, so approachable, at least in my mind. It was hard to get over something when it was all that occupied your thoughts, twenty-four seven.

So, one day, getting out of class, at night, I had enough. In a sudden strike of motivation, I got inside my car and just drove. Not even stopping to reflect on what I was doing, I just let my body guide me, managing the car. And soon, I saw myself stopping by that same street, again, late at night. I only stopped to ponder on my own actions after I had already driven all the way to that same spot. It was the only time I could finally breathe, also.

Pressing my back against the seat, and taking deep breaths, finally relaxing my body, I stayed there, for the night, sleeping inside the car. At morning, I woke up with someone knocking on the vehicle's window. It was Natsu. He had found me, and he was worried. He yelled me, said never to pull anything like that again.

But all I could think about was how he had found me. Without us communicating, he knew exactly where I was. And he came to me, even if he didn't agree with my actions. It was all I could think about looking deep into his eyes, as he tried to lecture me on why I shouldn't go missing like that. And I couldn't help but smile. I sure did have an amazing boyfriend, someone that reminded me that was more things worth living for even if all my expectations did not come true.

And so, there we were. Waiting on that car for another day. The black-haired man was home since it was Saturday, and his son, I mean, his other son had already dropped by, by his mom, on that house I was looking from a distance. The sun was cooking us up inside that automobile, and the time went by, as I got more and more nervous as it passed.

When I got on the car and drove, the night before, I had promised to myself that that would be the last time I did that. That this time I would enter inside the house and introduce myself and end that thing once and for all. But I couldn't do that. I kept delaying it. The time passed and I couldn't get myself to open the door. I could feel Natsu getting disappointed with me on the seat beside mine, and it was making everything worse.

"I can't do this anymore…" I finally sighed, dripping wet, unable to stand the dead silence presented in the car.

"Calm down…" Natsu said with a condescending tone that made me shiver. I hated when he decided to act like some sort of therapist sometimes. "Can't do what?" He landed his hand on my thigh.

"This!" I abruptly replied. "I'm sorry. I know I said I would do it this time, but I can't!"

"No one is waiting on you to do anything…"

"Oh, yeah? Cause it definitely feels like it!" I shouted, irrationally, turning around to face the green-eyed man. It only took me two seconds to realize how irrational I was being. "I'm sorry…" I looked down, in shame.

"No, it's okay…" Again, he put his hand on my shoulder and waited for me to calm down.

"I just… We should just get out of here…" Determined I turned on the car and started to drive. After only a few seconds, a ball came bouncing through the concrete and hit the windshield. "What the fuck?!"

"Look out!"

I hit the brakes as fast as I could. My eyes popped seeing a kid standing in the middle of the street, running after his ball. The sound of the vehicle suddenly stopping echoed through the whole neighborhood, as my heart pounded hard against my chest and my breathing ran out of control, seeing everything move in slow-motion from desperately wanting to stop the car in time.

Luckily, I was able to do just that, but the kid fell on the ground anyway, probably from the shock. Without having any time to let what just happened sync in, I got out of the automobile, to check if the little boy was fine.

"Are you okay?!" I desperately asked, kneeling down next to the small person fallen on the middle of the street.

"Aww…" He whined. "I hurt my knee…"

"Let me see that…" I grabbed him by the arms and sat him on the concrete.

My body instantly froze when my eyes met the little boy's deep black ones; it was him, my father's other son. The boy responsible for the depressed state I found myself for the last few weeks, the one I had reserved all my jealousy and resentment for, even though I couldn't express them out loud, seeing he was just an innocent child that didn't have anything to do with what I was feeling. A shockwave ran through my spine, and I lost track of where I was and what I was doing, staring at the kid sitting right in front of me, with a surprised expression that was probably freaking him out.

"Are you okay, Mr.…" His thin voice and weird look towards me were able to wake me from my trance after torturous seconds like that.

"Yeah…" I replied, still unsure of what was going on, feeling my soul entering my body again, and, with it, a striking headache, as I was still puffy, trying to control my breathing from what was just happening. "Yeah, yeah…" I said, more affirmatively, trying to shake everything that was going on inside my head off. "What about you?"

"I think I'm bleeding…" He replied, showing his left knee to me, that had a cut on it, with red blood running down his leg.

"Oh shit, I mean, oh wow… This is… ugly…" I said, trying to get my brain to compute, as I obviously hyperventilated on the outside, not being able to act like a human, thanks to my emotions. "Wow, okay…" I tried to figure a way out of that situation, but the more I tried, the more confused I got and things were already starting to spin. I legitimately thought I was going to pass out, and the weather wasn't helping. "I… I guess I'll…" I swallowed hard, trying to get the next few words from out of my throat. "I guess I'll have to get you home…" Shaking from head to toe, I grabbed the boy, carrying him, who was heavier than I had expected, anyway. Natsu gave me a confused look from inside the car as I walked away with the child, mouthing to him it would be okay.

"Hmm, Sir… Don't you need to ask me where I live first?"

"Oh… Sure…" I went along with it, sweating cold at that point. "Where is it?" I took slow steps, trying to delay my arrival on the house I knew I was dropping the boy by as much as I could. My heart still beat really fast and my breathing was still really heavy, while I tried to convey a calm state to the young man on my arms.

"I live on Aki street…"

"What?!" I interrupted him, not expecting that answer. As far as I was concerned, the black-haired boy just lived a couple of steps away.

"Are you crying?" He questioned me. My heart pounded hard with that question.

"What? No!" I touched my cheek to check the answer, and, the fact was, there was a stream of hot water running down on it. I guess I was crying, not even realizing it. "I'm not… crying…" I repeated that statement, with far less conviction this time around, trying to prevent him from slipping from my arms. My legs got weaker and my vision got blurrier with every step, as I saw the house I had been spying on from afar getting closer and closer, closer than it had ever been. I got there and stopped right in front of it, as my breathing lost control of itself and I dropped the little boy on the ground, grabbing my knees and arching my back, taking long breaths, feeling my whole body hurt, as I stopped a few steps away from that house. His house. I stayed a good five minutes like that, turning around to the boy after I got calmer, as calm as I could possibly get at least. "Aren't you going to go inside?" I asked, ignoring his confused expression towards me. The whole situation was made worse by the heat, making my desire to throw up all the more real, with the sun aiming his rays directly at my arched back.

"How did you…"

"Intuition." I abruptly replied, knowing exactly what he was going to ask me, before he even got the chance. "Now, aren't you?"

"Can you come with me? My knee hurts, and I would like you to explain everything to…"

"Oh no." I automatically replied. "No, no. I can't. I can't!" I lost control of my own voice as I desperately said those things to the child. I could see him getting scared and that was the last thing I wanted. "Can't you go?" I tried to say that in a nicer tone. "I'll watch you. I promise."

"You promise?"

"I promise. And you can blame everything on me if you like…"

Still a bit shaken, we shared a small smirk and I saw the kid walk towards the door, while I shivered from head to toe, trying to be calm, as I watched that scene from a distance. His little hands knocked on the door, and the tension erupted inside of me, waiting for what was to come next. I felt all of my organs stopping to work at the same time. I couldn't breathe, and my legs started to get weak. I felt vomit starting to crawl up on my throat. And then, it opened.

My heart came back to pounding with all it got, as the man appeared right in front of my eyes. My father was right there, closer than he had ever been, except for that incident in the car. My eyes popped, and I felt my body locking itself again. The leg weakness had stopped, the will to throw up too. I wasn't able to feel anything at that moment. I froze, seeing the raven-haired man, who looked just like me, appear in front of my eyes, to pick another boy in his arms.

His look of worry was enough to break my heart. The way he grabbed the little kid, who also looked a bit like him, and kissed him in the forehead, while I couldn't look away. Soon enough, I felt water coming back to run through my cheeks, falling from my eyes. I also couldn't move, my body was stuck there, making we watch that scene, that was making me feel like falling into a thousand pieces.

But then, the man looked my way. His eyes popped, just like mine had done a few seconds before, like he recognized me. I felt my heart coming back to speed up inside my chest and my moves gradually came back to me, as I watched he make my way to me from his house's balcony. Unaware of what to do at first, as I couldn't get my legs to get out of their place, I had to watch him get closer and closer. That was not how I wanted that to take place, at all. I watched everything in slow motion, until I finally got a hold of my body, and walked away, walking fast, shivering, like I had no idea what was going on.

"Hey. Wait up!" He said from behind me. I was seconds away from a panic attack. Feeling his steps getting closer, I started to run, with everything I'd got. I heard his feet doing the same, as my breathing became truly uncontrollable. And then, I fell.

"Ow!" I groaned as my face met the cement pavement. Admitting defeat, I just lied there, waiting for my fate to catch me.

"Shit. Are you okay?" I heard his voice once more, not facing the man, as he kneeled down on the floor to check on me. I felt his hand grab my shoulder, making me sit down. I faced the floor, seeing blood dropping from somewhere on my face. My breathing was calm then, as I had already accepted whatever was about to happen. Then, he grabbed my arms tightly, and made me face him. Our eyes immediately, and I felt all that tension coming back to me. My breathing speeded up again, and my heart started to beat uncontrollably, as I gasped, visibly shaking. "Easy. Easy." The man tried to calm down, with his low voice. Our faces were closer than they had ever been. I saw everything. His onyx eyes, black hair falling on his forehead, his nose, short beard, his smile. He was smiling. Smiling at me, as I tried to get my shit together. I felt tears running down my face once more. "It's okay. It's okay." His smile grew. I felt so pathetic, feeling like a little kid, being consoled by his dad. In a way, that was exactly what was going on. I felt time stop around me, as he looked towards my eyes once more, making me face the black immensity of his lobes. That was it. He was going to tell me he knew. That moment I had anticipated for months was now just about to be unraveled, in that humiliating way. My heart stopped, my trembling stopped, everything stopped. There was only his eyes, and what was about to be said. "Come. I'll take care of you."

He smiled and helped me get up. And so, I felt everything get back to moving around me. So anticlimactic. Still shaking a bit, not believing what was happening, I started to look around, feeling like a lost puppy. The man put my arms around his shoulder and helped me walk. My knee was also hurting. I looked to the raven-haired guy beside me, he was really strong, sustained my weight. Like a father would, for his son.

I looked down once again, feeling weak, but at the same time, calm. There was no need to fight anymore. By then, all I could do was to just accept was going to happen. There was nowhere else I could run. Soon, we were walking on his lawn, and the house I had been spying on for months were getting closer with every step. My heart started to beat a little faster as we were about to enter inside. That was it. The moment I had been waiting for. Finally happening, right in front of my eyes.

Part of me just wanted to unleash myself and run away, never looking back. Half of my brain shouted to me I wasn't ready yet, while the other part told me to calm down, that was what I wanted, wasn't I satisfied? Part of my body was eager and shivering with anticipation, ready to get the hell out of there. The rest of it was calm and serene, defeated, but happy about it. Telling me it was best to get it done with. And with that duality fighting to get control of me, I just stayed there, being carried by my father's strong arms, seeing his house door getting closer and closer.

His hand was about to grab the doorknob, when I made up my mind. The resistant side of my mind took over. That was a terrible idea, I wasn't ready. I just wanted to get out, to run and never look back, leave that men behind, leave that house behind. Why would I put myself in that situation for someone that abandoned me? Just when I was about to run with all I'd got, the door opened, and we got inside. There was nowhere to run. He had lured me to his trap and I had to settle for watching the door closing behind me. That was happening, me wanting it to, or not.

Trying to control my breathing, I looked around. It was overwhelming to think that I was indeed inside. I had pictured the inside of that house many times, in my daydreams. I imagined me marching across the lawn and knocking on the door. The man would open it, and confusedly ask "yes?". And I would introduce myself, and he would burst into tears, and grab me for a tight hug, whispering in my ear how sorry he was for everything. He would invite me to enter his home. The walls would be yellow, there would be an old brown couch and a small, old, television. Everything would seem messy, but I would ignore all that. Instead, I would sit in that old couch, with stuffing problems, we would have a heartfelt conversation. I would tell what I've been up to all these years, he would do the same, and everything would end up with us drinking bear and eating popcorn, watching to his old TV with image problems.

My head was spinning and everything seemed a little blurry, but it was safe to say that nothing was like I had imagined. The walls were white, there were two couches on the living room, both of them seemed perfectly fine. The first, beige, was pointing directly towards the TV, which, by the way, was modern, and big. The other, close to the door, on the left side of the room, was green. On the opposite side, there were two armchairs, beige just like the first sofa. Besides that, there was a marble coffee table in the center of it all. All and all, the whole place seemed very well taking care of, unlike my dreams, in which it was messy, but perfect in its own way.

My head increasingly continued to hurt, and the spinning got heavier. I had lost all my senses as I kept analyzing the place I was standing in. I couldn't hear anything, I couldn't think, I was buried in a deep state of confusion. My body was weak, I thought I was going to pass out, while I ran my eyes across that room. That couldn't be real. I was standing there, in my father's house, something I had been wanting to do for so long. And yet I felt like I was going to die if I spent one more minute there.

 _That's it_ ; I thought to myself as my legs got too weak for me to stand, making me fall on the couch behind me. I had to get out of there. Run away and never look back. I violently turned my head towards the door, just in time to see the older man locking it and putting the key in his pocket.

"Stay here. I'll help you." I heard the man say, amongst a beeping noise I kept hearing in my ears, increasing with every second I stayed there, and the tension kept growing.

"You fell too?" I heard a familiar voice ask me. I desperately ran my eyes across the room, to find where it was coming from, thinking I had gone completely insane. After a couple of seconds, I found the little boy I had almost ran over with my car moments before sitting on the other couch, his eyes aimed directly towards me, making me gasp scared, with my suddenly realization of his presence there. "Are you okay?"

"I…" I blabbered, unable to phrase any sentences at that point, still completely overwhelmed with a mix of emotions by the fact of being standing right there, under that roof.

But before I could answer, the adult man came back. He went to his young son, kneeling down on the floor, with a first aid kit on his hands. My eyes fixated on them, as I still shivered and my breathing still was out of control. My father put a band-aid on the wound, after treating it, and turned back to me. I definitely wasn't ready for that.

"Thank you, uncle Silver."

"Uncle?" My breathing suddenly stopped, alongside with my heart beats, as the little voice from the kid still echoed in my head. He was his uncle?! "He is your nephew?" I asked, trying to contain my surprise. I couldn't believe at what I had just heard. I was dwelling so deep on those few words that I forgot to react to the man approaching me and sitting by my side on the sofa I was on.

"Yeah, he is my sister's son."

"Your sister?" It was like the weight of an elephant left my shoulder. Suddenly, I felt calmer, and I couldn't help a smile from popping up on my lips. I was being silly all along. All those problems that I made up on my head, everything, it was all for nothing. I started to feel the man's hands on my forehead, but ignored it. I wasn't feeling uneasy anymore, I was too busy focusing on what I had just found out to react to what was going on around me.

"Easy, easy…" I heard the man's voice talking to me as he, as he passed a wet piece of cotton on the wound in my forehead. That was when I realized I came back to crying. A calm set of tears, running down my face. It wasn't tears of desperation anymore. "Is it hurting that bad?"

"No, it's just that…" My smile grew, in exact contrast with the stream of water running down my face. I looked down, clenching my fists. It was now or never. In a single move I turned around, to look at the man's eyes. There was no need to delaying that any longer. It had been dragged for too long. "I'm your son."

A shockwave ran through my spine as soon as those words left my lips. All my confidence from before had faded away. I froze completely. The only thing moving on my body was my heart beating frenetically against my chest. The room buried itself in deep silence, as I looked straight into the man's face, sitting in front of me, waiting for an answer. His eyes were aiming directly at mine, reminding myself of how similar he was to me. Different from the first time I saw him and realized our similarities, however, I wasn't filled with glee. This time around, I just wanted to get the hell away from there, before passing out.

"Reisuke…" The man's deep voice finally came out from his mouth, echoing through the whole place, making my breathing get even heavier and my shaking and trembling get more noticeable. Slowly, he turned his head around to the little boy, that was probably watching us, waiting to see how the situation would unravel, just like me. "Go to your room, please."

Still looking at the man, I heard the little steps living the room. Slowly, he turned around to me again. Unlike myself, though, the older guy seemed less nervous. His face was calm, his eyes came back to facing mine, like he was waiting on me to say something. Even though he showcased himself as being in control, however, something in his eyes didn't seem right. It was like he was trying at being in control, for me, but, deep down, he was probably at the same state as I was.

Still, it wasn't just that. There was something on his face. He didn't seem surprised, or shocked. Just worried, maybe. Disappointed? No, it wasn't that. It was like…

"You knew." With those words, the man looked down for the first time. His calmness faded away, and some sort of sorrow took over his face, confirming my suspicions. "I knew it. Ever since you went to my car, that day… The way you looked at me…"

"It wasn't that big of a mystery." He interrupted me, a smile popping by on his lips. "I mean, look at you…" His voice got weak with that last sentence, and the man faced me again. I could see his eyes were watery by then, and couldn't help but to let a smile appear across my face, too. I knew exactly what he was talking about. "But, huh, your mom contacted me…"

"She did…?" I asked with a sigh, unable to control myself from rolling her eyes.

"You can't blame your mother for what she did. She had her reasons…" My brain immediately zoomed out from the conversation as my father began to say those things. I had no interest in hearing where that talk was going.

…

" _What are you doing here?" I asked, seeing my brother standing in the hallway, after I opened the door of my dorm._

" _You won't answer your phone, so I took the liberty to come by…"_

" _And what exactly do you want?" I insisted, not letting the boy pass._

" _I want you to take your foot out of your ass and stop this drama nonsense." Hearing those words, I didn't hesitate to close the door on him, but, unfortunately, he stopped it with his hand and forced himself into the room. "What is your problem, man?!"_

" _Can you please leave?" I sighed, not wanting to get into a fight._

" _Why aren't you taking mom's calls?" Ignoring the question, I opened the door once more and indicated the way out with my hand. "I won't leave until you call her."_

" _This has nothing to do with you…" I tried to say this as calmly as I could._

" _The hell it doesn't!" He shouted. "She is my mom too! And she is suffering! Because of you!" I swallowed hard trying to contain my anger with that allegation. "I mean, she made a mistake, I get it, you had the right to be upset, to shut her out for a while, but enough is enough…" After he said those things, my brother went to his pocket and took his cellphone out. "Here. Call her."_

" _What?"_

" _I want you to call her."_

" _Can you please leave?" I sighed, ignoring his request._

" _No, I'm not going to leave! Aren't you at least going to say something?" Instead of replying, however, I just kept looking down, waiting for that awkward situation to pass. "Fucking say something, man!" Having enough, my brother pushed me against the wall._

" _What's your problem?!" I pushed him back._

 _Soon we started pushing one another, till falling in the ground. Not containing my anger, I buried my fist on the grey-haired boy's face, making him hit my stomach with his knee. I fell from the top of him, lying on the ground, next to my brother. That was when I realized Loki standing by the door, shocked, watching the two bodies on the floor._

" _Is everything… okay?" He tried to phrase a sentence._

" _Yeah." I immediately got up. "My brother was just leaving." Looking down at him, I once again showed the way to the door with my hand._

" _You are so childish…" He growled, getting up. "A fucking drama queen. When you realize the mistakes you are making, it'll be too late." Lyon said those things looking directly towards my eyes, before turning around and leaving._

…

"I don't really want to talk about my mother right now…" I coldly interrupted the man, before the conversation stretched itself any longer.

"Oh, okay…" He replied, awkwardly. We both dodged our looks from one another, and sat there, in silence, for a while. "I know you must have a lot of questions…"

"I do…" I replied, with a smirk popping on my lips. "But, I think the main one is just that I'm confused…" I took a breath before finishing that sentence and looked at the man's direction. "I mean… You seemed so eager to meet me, and…"

"No, but I am." He immediately interrupted me. "You have no idea for how long I pictured this happening… It's just one of those things you know? When you have a lot of emotions, and you don't even know how to react properly. And, also, I don't want to scare you… But, you have to believe me Gray." He grabbed my shoulders and looked straight into my eyes "There is no amount of joy that could describe how I'm feeling by actually seeing you here, in front of me." With those words, I couldn't help the tears from appearing on my eyes, and said with a weak voice;

"Can I hug you?"

We hugged indeed, with tears falling from our eyes. After that moment, my father told me his story.

…

He was the son of a rich man who owned a successful restaurant there in Chiba and had two children before his wife passed away; my dad, Silver, and a daughter, named Naomi.

When he finished high school, he got into Kyoto university and moved. As a troubled teenager who had the advantage of having money, my father never really cared about anything but partying and having a good time. Without his own father there to keep his life on track, things really went off the rails.

My dad soon exchanged the classroom for bars, where he got mixed with a heavy crowd, and started using heavier drugs, particularly heroin. That was when he met my mother. At the time, she had a fling with one of his new friends, but really got his attention. He claimed he was hypnotized by her beauty the moment his eyes met her, but tried as hard as possible to respect her relationship.

Being from a wealthy family, my dad really got his new friends attention. Trying to impress them, he used his money to buy drugs and have parties, all to secure his status as a member of the gang.

As time went by, Silver became more and more detached of his responsibilities, and flunked his way out of school. Soon, that, plus his misdemeanors, made their way to his father's ears, which led to a very harsh conversation. My grandfather claimed how his son was always a disappointment, and how he wished he never had him, right before taking all of his money. In retrospective, that chat was made even worse by the fact that it was the last time they would see each other.

Luckily, his friends didn't turn his back on him once he lost his wealth. In fact, my mom's boyfriend at the time invited him to live in his apartment. But even so, that was not enough to mask his pain for hearing everything his dad had to say, and to shake the feeling of hitting rock bottom. There was only one thing he could hold onto back then; heroin.

It was also hard to cope with the fact that Ur became an even bigger constant in his life, now that he shared an apartment with her boyfriend. It was getting harder and harder to resist her. They would have heartfelt conversations for hours. She opened up to him about her relationship with her mother, whom she hated, her daughter whom she felt she couldn't love, and her willingness to go away one night and never come back. Silver really thought he was connecting with the woman, but still, it wasn't him with whom she was sleeping with. It also really bothered him about the fact that his friend didn't treat Ur with the amount of respect she deserved, and he felt he would be way of a better boyfriend to her.

Soon enough, both of them gave in to temptation, but instead of it being a secret, he was incorporated into my mom's relationship with the other guy. The three of them became a couple, where they both shared Ur, and everything seemed fine.

They kept going with their lecherous life, commanded by sex and drugs, until the other man and my mother got into a really big fight. He accused her of stealing from him, and my father defended the girl. After being beat up, he was thrown out on the street to never come back, and Ur followed.

With nowhere to go, my mother decided to help my father, and stole the keys of her deceased father's old office, for him to live at for the time being. They kept on seeing one another, getting high together and whatnot, until she dropped the bomb. She had gotten pregnant. By that time, my dad clamed, he had really grown unattached to anything that wasn't drugs, and, believing there was no room in his life for a baby, he went away one night, leaving her without any notice.

After that, Silver kept walking around the city, aimlessly, doing just the bare minimum to get by and save some money to buy some heroin at the end of the day. His only company was regret by then, and images of the woman he left behind didn't seem to go away, but he knew he could never come back.

Until one day, while Silver was wondering through the streets, and he saw Ur, inside of a convenience store. His belly had grown so much from the last time they saw one another. Completely wasted, decided to approach her. He declared his undying love, and said that he would never leave her side. Visibly uncomfortable, a man popped by to defend her. Silver soon realized, she wasn't available anymore. The man's words also scarred him; she was doing well, she was recovering, and the last thing she needed was some jerk junkie to ruin her life again.

He was right. He was an embarrassment, and would do nothing to anyone around them but ruin their lives. Holding that realization to heart, Silver decided to get a bus out of town, and so he did.

Getting off in another town, my dad went back to being homeless. An old lady started giving him food. Soon he grew fond of her, and she decided to have a leap of faith, and gave him a job in her bakery and a room to sleep. She was also once an addict, so she felt sympathetic. Even so, he kept getting into trouble, but she never gave up on him.

Time passed, and little changed. One day, however, after he was, once again, arrested for drug possession, and was waiting in jail for the old lady to pay his fine, the guard asked what was his last name once more, and later showed him the paper, where a man with the same name was announced dead.

Even though they hadn't spoken in several years, Silver couldn't contain his tears by reading about his father's death. After he got released, he thanked the old lady, and apologized for everything. He then, made his way back home.

Back at Chiba, after all that time. Walking those streets. The first thing he did was visit his dad's grave. He then knocked on his old house's door, meeting his sister. Nothing could describe how coming back home, to his family, after doing all that stuff, felt. He was going to do it right that time around.

Silver searched for help. He checked into a clinic, got clean, and, with time, took over his father's business. He made a life for himself there, and everything was fine. Except for when he went to sleep, and all his regrets came back to haunt him; one, in particular; Ur, and the child he left with her.

Unable to bear it anymore, he convinced his sister, a cop, to track down the woman. And so, she did. Having her address, Silver finally got himself to write a letter, resuming everything he's been up to ever since they last saw each other, and expressing his wishes to meet their child. She never replied, Tired of waiting, he wrote another. Time passed one more time, and he wrote a third one.

Finally, Ur reached to him. With a letter begging him to not make contact again. In that letter, she also sent him a picture of their son and information about him, hoping that would suffice. But it didn't. And he kept sending her letter each year by the time she said it was the boy's birthday, but she never replied again.

…

"Wow. That is…" But before I could finish the sentence, I felt my phone moving on my pocket. I grabbed to see a lot of unanswered calls from Natsu. "Oh, shit."

"Is everything okay?" My father asked.

"Yeah, sure. Is just that… I got to take a call. Is it okay if I ask my boyfriend to come in?"

"Your… boyfriend?" I noticed a tone of surprise in his voice.

"Yeah, he was in the car with me…"

"Sure." The man replied with a smile.

I called the pink-haired boy and told him he should come in. Soon the bell rang, and he was on the other side of the door.

"Natsu, this is my father, Silver." I noticed in pink head's eyes he was also a bit shaken by seeing the man we had been watching from a distance for so long right there in front of him. "And this is my boyfriend, Natsu."

"Hi, nice to meet you." They shook hands.

"Reisuke!" My father shouted for his nephew. Soon, the raven-haired little boy popped by the living room. He was truly similar to my dad and to me. "There is someone I'd like you to meet."

"Is it your son?" He asked, in a soft voice, looking at me. I smirked back at him, uncomfortably.

"This is Gray, your cousin."

"Hi Reisuke, nice to meet you." I smiled, and stretched my hand, so he could shake it.

"Do you guys want to stay for dinner? We're ordering pizza." My father asked.

For the rest of the day we spent our time in that house, that slowly stopped being so threatening. We looked at old family pictures, where I learned that my grandfather was also similar to me. It was like I had found my coven. In my dad's bedroom, there was an old picture of me, as a child, the one my mom sent him.

The rest of the time I played with my newfound cousin, while my father and boyfriend chatted. He was a really sweet kid. Then, we sat on the table to eat. My dad told stories about his life, we shared laughs, and, by the time I went home, I wasn't scared or intimidated by that place anymore. Me and my father said we would meet on the next weekend and that was it.

As I was walking out, however, I crossed paths with my aunt.

"Silver, I'm…" She stopped talking when she realized I was there, about to walk out the door she just entered. "Oh, hi…"

"Naomi, this is my son." My father said. "Gray, this your aunt…" But before he could finish the sentence, the woman grabbed me for a hug, crying.

"It is so nice to meet you…" The woman whispered in my ear. She had long, black hair that smelled really good. I took a breath, absorbing it, and replied, closing my eyes.

"It's nice to meet you, too." It felt good to have a family.

…

I knocked on the door, nervously. It was cold outside, and my legs were trembling. My hands were in my pocket, as I tried to get warm, waiting for the door to open. Soon, it did. And her eyes popped, seeing me there.

"Gray…" My mom said, in disbelief.

"I met my dad today." I replied, in a cold tone.

"Oh…"

"And it was hard, at first." I said, pausing. "But, at the same time, it was like I had found… Home." As soon as those words left my lips, my mother burst into tears, right in front of me. I shook, seeing her like that. Part of me just wanted to comfort her, but I knew she didn't deserve it, so I just kept talking. "Anyway, I'm not here to torture you or anything… I know how hard it must've been for you to take care of us, and to hide such a big secret from everyone around you… I guess, what I'm trying to say is…" I stopped one last time, looking right into the woman's eyes as desperate tears still fell from her eyes. "I get it… I understand you."

"Gray…" She came for a hug, but I stepped away.

"No." I cut her. "Not now… I'll see you…" As I said those words I turned around towards the car.

My boyfriend was there, waiting for me. He was always there. Even if things wouldn't work out with my father, or if I wouldn't make peace with my mother, he would always be there, and I would have a family.

Later, I would roll around my bad, thinking how cruel it was for me to have found my father in the same year he lost his. And later, darker thoughts than that one would pop by to never go away. But, back then, I had him, and he had me, and that was enough.


	18. August 2013 - The Depression

I woke up to my alarm clock. Natsu was lying next to me, in the same spot he had been for a month now. I sighed seeing him, deep in his sleep. At least he seemed less troubled, deep in his sleep.

I walked towards the living room, stepping through my boyfriend's clothes scattered around the floor. At least he was still changing his clothes, I thought to myself.

Things weren't at their best shape ever since Igneel's funeral, a month ago. It was like a grey fog was prowling around us, making it harder to see or to move, making me rethink everything I did in order not to upset my boyfriend any more than he already was.

He was depressed, plain and simple. It was hard to get closer to him, to have conversations. It was hard to catch him doing anything besides lying around, really. He wasn't even eating straight. At first I thought he would pull through, it would only be for the first few days. But a month had passed, and I don't think he had ever gotten out of the house since it happened. And I didn't know what to do, either. Should I be supportive and wait for it to pass? Should I put pressure on him to shake things off? I had no idea how to cope, and it was killing me watching my boyfriend languish in his mental illness and not knowing what to do to help him. At least I managed for him to stay in my apartment for a while, instead of completely alone in his.

With those thoughts constantly on my mind, especially on the morning, when I woke up and the first thing I saw was the pink-haired boy, deep in his sleep, I managed to keep my daily routine going. Taking a shower, getting breakfast, leaving some food in the kitchen balcony for Natsu whenever he woke up, and getting off to work.

"Amanda wants to talk to you." Kei said, the minute I walked into the coffee shop.

"Already?" I sighed. "At least give me time to put on my apron."

"I'm just spreading her message, dude."

Rolling my eyes, knowing full well what waited for me, I knocked on the door of the manager's office, behind the counter.

"Amanda?" I said, through a gap on the door.

"Gray? Come in." The woman said, in her monotonous voice. I walked in, immediately sensing the smell of smoke. I was under the impression all the girl did all day was smoke on her office. How she became a manager would always remain a mystery to me. I walked my way toward the chair in front of her desk. The room was dark, the only light coming in was from a small, rectangular window.

"So, what do you want to talk to me about?" I asked, pretending I didn't know.

"Oh, right." The girl said, like she remembered just then why I was there in the first place. "So, I hate to bring this up again, but it's about Natsu…"

"Oh…"

"Yeah…" She replied, making clear she didn't want to have that conversation any more than I did.

"Look…" I sighed. "I know this is a lot to ask, but can't you be patient with him? His dad…"

"Died, I know… But wasn't that like, a month ago?" An awkward silence installed itself between us with those words. I didn't have a proper answer to the point she was making. "Look, I know it must be pretty hard for him still, and, you know me, if it was up to me I wouldn't bat an eye even if this place suddenly caught on fire, but…"

"It's not up to you, I know…" I sighed again.

"Can't you like, talk to him? Convince him to come or…" At that moment, I couldn't help but giggle a bit with those words.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" I said, trying to recompose myself. "It's just that… If you just knew how hard it has been for me to try and make and sort of contact with him… He is always so stiff, and cold, and, I can see that he is sad, but, you know when you are like, too sad that your feelings sort of cancel each other out? And I don't know what to do you know, he is so like, apathetic. Is like he is not there, even when he is, and is so awkward, because I kept asking myself if I should say something and do something… And like, I know grieving is different for everyone, and I know I should respect his feelings and all, but at the same time, like, it's been a month, you know? And I know I can't even begin to understand how strong his relationship with his father was, but, I can't close my eyes and pretend that everything is okay either, I mean, this isn't normal, is it? I feel like in the dark in this whole situation, and responsible for doing something, but I don't know what to do, and…" The words kept coming out of my mouth before I could even process them. I didn't even know I had this much to say, but I wasn't able to stop. Only when I had to take a breath, and realized how freaked out my boss was at my vomiting out all of my feelings, that I noticed how ridiculous that situation was. I felt a lump on my throat, and knew then it was too late. The tears were already coming out. "Oh, shit…" I looked down immediately, as the water ran through my cheeks.

"It's okay…" Amanda tried to force those words out of her mouth. It was as unnatural for me her saying that as for her actually saying it. She tapped me in the shoulder in an awkward fashion, as I desperately cried out everything that I was feeling for a month, sort of living with Natsu. "Okay, this is getting too weird…" The woman said after excruciating long seconds for us both. "I need to get out of here, you go… get better…" She left me there, trying to stop the tears and failing, as I was already laughing amongst my crying, with how ridiculous I must've looked in that moment.

…

"Hi…" I said to Loki, walking into our apartment, seeing him sitting on the couch with his legs spread.

"Oh, hey. How was work?"

"It was… Something…" I sighed. Soon, my eyes noticed the plate with the two sandwiches I had prepared for Natsu, still wrapped in plastic so any bugs wouldn't land on it. "Did Natsu get out of the room at all?" I questioned my orange haired friend.

"Oh… I don't know… I got home just now… Is everything okay?"

"He didn't eat the sandwich I made for him." I sighed. "He must've not eaten anything all day…" I sat down on one of the balcony's stool.

"Hey, I hate to be the person to tell you how to do stuff…" Before Loki even had the chance to say anything I was already rolling my eyes. The last thing I needed was someone criticizing what I was doing regarding my boyfriend's situation when I barely knew what to do. "But, don't you think you are kind of overprotecting him…?"

"What?" The word jumped out of my mouth, in a threatening tone, before I realized.

"Okay, sorry…"

"No, no, I'm sorry…" I sighed once more, grabbing the upper part of my nose. "It's just… I'm barely holding it together…"

"But that's the thing, you know? You are acting like you are responsible for him, like Natsu isn't a grown man…"

"It's not like grown people don't need help, I mean…"

"Yeah, but you are doing more than just helping him. Preparing his food, implying that you should be the one holding things together for him… I mean, I know he is sad, what happened with his dad really sucks…"

"Okay, can you please keep it silent?" I asked, whispering, seeing the turn the conversation was going, and taking a glimpse at the door of my room, where pink head was lying.

"You see, this is the thing. You are giving him less credit than he deserves, he is not some lost puppy, he knows how to take care of himself…"

"Okay, well, I'm sorry for worrying…" I said, having enough of that conversation, dismissing it.

"Okay, see, there is no need for you to get so defensive…"

"Look…" I said it louder than intended, turning around to my roommate once more, than continued speaking, lowering my voice. "You are talking like there's nothing wrong with him. Maybe you haven't realized, but there is a lot wrong with him. He is not just sad because his father died, he is depressed. He barely gets up from the bed, he doesn't get out of the house, he barely eats, he barely talks, he barely showcases any sort of emotion. I mean, I know he is sad, but he doesn't show it, he doesn't show anything. And what can I do to make this go away? Should I push him? Should I get mad at him? What should I do? If you think what I've been doing doesn't help, then tell me what to do!" A cold silence followed my words, as my voice got increasingly violent and louder.

"I'm sorry…" He said, after a few seconds. "But do you really think that he won't eat if you don't prepare your food for him?"

"I don't know." I replied, coldly. "But I want to do something to help." Another silent moment emerged, as we both looked towards one another's eyes, during that awkward situation.

"I'm sorry…" Loki finally said.

"No, I am…" One more sigh. "It's just that it's been so overwhelming for me, lately…"

"I can imagine…" We shared a smile. "Come here." My roommate asked me for a hug and we stayed that way for a while, comforting ourselves in each other's arms. "It'll be fine…"

"I hope so…"

After a while, we let one another go, said our good nights and each went to our rooms. Before I opened the door, I took one last breath, before facing my boyfriend. He was lying on the bed with the same clothes I left him that morning, watching something on his laptop.

"Hey…" No replies. "What are you watching?" I insisted, sitting on my side of the bed.

"Some dumb TV show…" He sighed. Silence emerged once more, with only the sound of the computer filling the room, as I calmly changed clothes, searching for the courage to say what I wanted to.

"So…" I started, slowly lying the bed beside him. "Did you get out of the room at all today?"

"What do you mean?" He dismissed me.

"I'm just wondering… How was your day?"

"Normal…" Natsu dismissed me again, his tone indicating he clearly didn't want to have that conversation.

"You know…" I cautiously implanted the seed. "We've been missing you at work lately…" Not showing any signs of reaction, the pink haired boy, which now indicated signs of its blond roots, closed his laptop and turned to the other side from me. "Kei and Amanda… They have been asking about you…" I waited a while, to see how he would react, but he didn't answer me. Taking a deep breath, I insisted. "Did you hear me?" I put my hand on his shoulder, trying not to sound too pushy. "About work?"

"Do you seriously want to have this conversation right now?" Natsu interrupted me with a cold tone, still facing the other side. A bit tense, not knowing how to proceed, I stayed there, looking down on my boyfriend's face, in silence.

"Fine." I finally sighed, giving up. Seeing the mood in the room had gotten too weird, I just took my cellphone and went to the living room once more.

…

"Ah!" I woke up, falling from the couch, my face hitting directly the floor. "Shit…" I said, realizing I must've lost track of time. Grabbing my phone, I concluded I was, indeed late, and, not only that, my battery was almost gone. "Shit!"

Rushing myself, I entered my room and went straight to the wardrobe, grabbing the first pieces of clothing I saw and putting it on in a split second. Ready to go, I turned around to get out of the room, when my eyes met Natsu.

My boyfriend was in deep sleep. His appearance really screaming that that wasn't a good moment in the boy's life. His hair, for the first time since I met him, showing signs of its original color, and a small, to-do beard. I felt immediately saddened seeing him there, so peaceful in his sleep, and, at the same time, so sorrowful. I couldn't just leave.

I went to the kitchen and prepared another sandwich for him, hoping he would eat it this time. Not wanting to just rely on it, however, I walked into our room again, kneeling down on the floor and shaking the sleeping boy by his arm.

"Natsu…" No replies. "Babe…"

"Uhhh…" He growled.

"Look, I made sandwiches for you. They are in the kitchen's balcony, ok?" I insisted, still shaking him.

"Fine…"

"Will you eat them?" I kept insisting, my worry speaking louder than any sense of reason. Another growl as a response. "Natsu, will you eat them?"

"What do you want?!" In a single move, my boyfriend sat on the bed and looked straight at me, with a very unpleasant expression on his face. My whole body started shivering with that change of scenario.

"What..." I blabbered, trying to understand what had just happened. Taking a deep breath, I calmed myself down. "I'm just worried about you, that's all…"

"Well, you don't need to be worried about me! If I want to eat, I will eat!" Natsu's face changed a lot as he yelled those words at me, making my heart start beating faster, as I had never seen him like that.

"Well…" I tried to recompose myself, once more, and spoke calmly. "You didn't eat yesterday. I'm sorry for worrying about you…"

"I don't need you worrying about me! Don't you think I know what is going on here?"

"Look, I know you're sad…" I tried to reason with the boy, wanting to keep that situation from becoming a huge argument.

"No, you don't know what I'm feeling, ok?! How do you think I feel, after everything that went down, now having to endure you pressuring me?!"

"Pressuring you…?" I repeated the words, not believing what I had just heard.

"Yes, pressuring me to eat, pressuring me to go back to work, pressuring to get out of the house, you keep pushing me! Take a fucking hint! The last thing I need right now is you all up in my business!" After he was done shouting, his words echoed across the room, as we both stayed looking at one another's eyes.

The pink-haired boy kept his angry face at me, while my whole body trembled and tears emerged on my eyes, not believing the things he had sad to me, and his violent behavior. With my head spinning non-stop and feeling like I could black out at any minute, I did the only thing I could think off; get out of there.

…

" _Nothing I can do, total eclipse of the heart…"_

"Sing it, sister…"

Levi and Gajeel were sat on the balcony of the coffee shop. It was karaoke night and a group of women were shouting eighties' tunes from the top of their lungs.

"I didn't know it was this cool in here…" The blue-haired girl said.

"You're lucky you came in the best day." I replied. "Maybe you should go up there and sing a song…"

"No, I think we're good…"

"Oh, come on Gajeel, I would love to see your killing vocals up there…"

"Trust me, you wouldn't…"

"What is that supposed to mean?" The dark-haired man questioned his girlfriend.

"Hey, Gray, those girls that have a crush on you are here…" Kei popped by.

"What?!" Gajeel shouted and turned around, in an unsubtle way, making me blush, nervously. My eyes met the group of thirteen-year-old girls giggling and waving at me, as I waved back.

"Those school girls have a crush on you?" Levy questioned me.

"Oh my god, be quiet." I whispered, nervously. "And no, they don't…"

"Yes, they do." Kei popped out from out of nowhere again, just to make that comment.

"Oh my god, don't you have a job to do?"

"As a matter of fact, I do, since you rather talk to your friends than do any helping around here."

"I'm on my break." I shot back at the guy.

"Who would've thought you would be so popular with the ladies…" Gajeel joked, making his girlfriend laugh.

"Oh my god, stop it…"

"Have you decided who you're going to take to prom yet?"

"Very funny guys…" They kept giggling and making fun of me, as I rolled my eyes. Levy and Gajeel were really a great couple, I thought, as they sat in front of me. It was like they were always in sync, even when they were making fun of one another. They were always laughing together, always smiling towards one another, always… happy. They made each other happy, and, for as much as I hated to admit it, seeing them there, at that point of my life, with everything that was going on with my boyfriend, I couldn't help but feel a bit jealous, and saddened.

"But hey man, how's Natsu?" The laughing stopped. That question echoed in my head for a bit, as I started to feel out of orbit, looking at the couple in front of me, waiting for a response. I knew it was just a matter of time for that subject to pop up.

"Gray?"

"Yeah?" I came to my senses, meeting my friends in front of me once more, with their eager eyes waiting for my reply. I sighed, there was no way I could get out of that one. "Natsu? Oh yeah, he's great. I mean, not great, great, but, you know, it's a work in progress, you know? We are getting there…" The words tangled themselves in their way out of my mouth, as I sweat, nervously, trying to end that conversation as fast as I could. I could see in the expression of my friends faces, I was not selling it. "But, anyway, enough about me, how are you guys?"

"Oh…" Levy said, surprised by the sudden change of topic. "We're great, right?"

"Yeah, it's been a mad vacation for us…" Gajeel continued. Their attempt to change to focus to themselves in order to make me more comfortable was obvious. Suddenly, a cellphone started to beep.

"Oh sorry, I've got to take this…" The blue haired girl said, looking at her phone, and getting up from her chair. With her gone, an awkward silence stalled itself.

"Hey, man, everything will be ok, you know that, right?" The brunette said after a few seconds, and all I could do was smile at him. I was grateful for them for worrying, but I don't think they understood just how big of a problem that was.

"Hey…" The small girl came towards us again, breathing heavily. Whatever news she had just heard, taking it from her expression, it wasn't good.

"Hey, what happened?" Her boyfriend promptly asked.

"It was Cana's dad. She is in the hospital, she drank too much…" Levy tried to say all that amongst her deep breathing.

"Oh my god, is she ok?!" I promptly asked.

"I don't know… I have to go to the hospital…"

"I'll go with you guys!" I volunteered.

I explained to Kei what was happening and he let me go. We walked to my car and I made the way towards the hospital. Levy seemed really worried all the way there, and Gajeel comforted her, as she lied her head on his shoulder, and the brunette man tried to secure his girlfriend it wasn't her fault.

Things had been unstable with Cana, ever since she passed out from drinking on the university's festival. Levy took her to the hospital, and Cana's dad decided it would be best for his daughter to stop drinking, but, knowing her, that soon proved to be impossible, so, it was stablished the rule she should only drink on weekends. Levy felt in charge of her friend ever since, trying to help her and guide her to surpass her vice.

"I just feel so responsible, you know? I told her father I would watch her, and I turned my back for a couple of days, and look what happens…"

"No, no, baby… It isn't your fault…" Gajeel continued to try to calm his girlfriend down.

"It really isn't." I reiterated. "If anything is our fault. We shouldn't let you in charge of something like this on your own…"

"Oh guys, please. I was the one that volunteered…"

"Hey, here is an idea, why instead of trying to look for someone to blame, we just look to the situation as it is and try to be there for her?" Said Gajeel, in a strange moment of clarity for him.

We arrived at the hospital, and walked through the hallways, with the blue haired woman guiding us.

"Nobu!" She shouted to a man standing in the middle of the hallway. He had a black hair and beard.

"Levy!"

"How is she?"

"She is stable now. This is her room." He said, pointing towards the door behind him. We stayed in silence for a while, Cana's father looking deep towards Levy's eyes, as they tried to decide who was going to talk next. "Levy, I guess I have to say…" The older man started talking. "Thank you." With those words, Levy gasped n surprise. "You have been a rock that stayed there for my daughter… And, you were right… She should seek help. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you."

"I'm…" The small woman started a sentence, but couldn't get herself to continue, breaking down into tears. "I'm so sorry…" She sobbed. "I should've been there for her… I…" But before she could finish, the older man grabbed her for a hug, and they both stayed like that, for a while. Gajeel and I exchanged looks, and smiled towards one another, watching that moving scene.

After that, we entered the hospital room where our friend lied. We cautiously stepped towards her bed.

"I'm awake…" A groggy voice popped up. We all aimed our eyes at Cana at the same time, making she smile.

"Hey, Cana." I said. "How are you feeling?"

"How does anyone feel after drinking their organs out and then being sedated by a tone of medicine?" She joked, but there were no laughs. "Yeah, I really screwed up this time… I guess I'm going to rehab after all…" A bitter feeling scattered across the room with that commentary, as we all stayed there in silence, not knowing how to proceed from there.

We stayed in that room for a while, sitting, trying to engage in conversation. It was tough, but, the funny thing was, no matter how harsh that was, it still was better than going home, meeting Natsu. I tried to make that moment last for as long as I could, not wanting to open the door to my apartment and having to deal with my boyfriend for the time being. I felt selfish feeling like that, but, at the same time, I couldn't help it.

Unfortunately, though, nothing lasts forever, and soon, I had to face the fact that it was time to head home. We left around midnight, Cana was already asleep. Her dad walked us out. He said he would check her daughter into a clinic, for her to get help. It was hard to imagine Cana in such a scenario, so restrictive, when she was always impulsive. But then, I guessed, even she knew, by then, it was for the best.

I drove Levy and Gajeel home, and took a deep breath when stopping my car in front of my building. It was time to face my problems head on, after a day of pretending they didn't exist.

I opened the door of the apartment, sighing. It was getting more and more tiresome to open that door after the end of the day, when I knew I would be forced to meet Natsu lying on his bed in the same position I left him in the beginning of the day, with the same troubled look on his face, and I would continue not knowing what to do to help him, especially when he kept pushing me away and accusing me of overstepping.

To my surprise, the lights of the living room were on, making my eyes sting a little from the contrast of the lighting from the hallway. Was Loki still awake? Before I could do so much as close the door however, I heard a voice;

"Where were you?" Natsu said, with a piercing tone, as my eyes popped from just hearing that voice.

"Natsu?" I asked, still unsure, seeing the former pink-haired boy man sitting by the kitchen balcony. The look on his face wasn't pleasant.

"Where were you, Gray?" He insisted, with an even colder tone.

"I was…" I stopped for a second, trying to assimilate that newfound attitude of my boyfriend. "At work…"

"Bullshit!" He interrupted me. "Work finished hours ago!"

"Cana was hospitalized and I went to see her, why are you acting like this?" I said that as quick as I possibly could, trying to get my explanations off the way and get to the point where Natsu explained _his_ attitude at the moment. As soon as he heard that sentence, his face changed.

"Oh my… I'm… Is she ok?"

"She is fine. I mean, she will be fine. But why are you acting like this?" I insisted.

"Well, I don't know, you simply disappeared on me! I've been calling your phone for hours!"

"Sorry, I've been out of battery all day." I dismissed him and walked my way towards the bedroom.

"Is that all you got to say?" He ran towards me.

"What do you want me to say?" I dismissed the boy one more time, turning around again and asking the question like it was no big deal. I did not want to get into a fight, and I did not want to feed him into it.

"I don't know, maybe I'm sorry?!"

"I'm here now, aren't I?" I turned around again and walked to the wardrobe to change my clothes.

"How can you possibly think that this makes everything okay?!" He kept shouting at me from the other side of the room. "You simply leave me…"

"Leave you? I didn't you." I couldn't contain myself and let that one slide, turning around to face him.

"Well, you simply took off and left me out in the dark for the better part of the night! And you know you just can't do that!"

"Why?!" I shot back at him.

"Because you know I need you!" I ran out of air when those words left his mouth. Aiming my eyes at his, I saw the tears starting to form. But, any sort of compassion that was started to form for him, soon faded to what proceeded those words. "You're not an idiot! You know how I've been and you know I need my boyfriend! Are you what, too selfish or too stupid or something?!"

"Oh, you need me, do you?!" Having enough, I elevated my tone to his level. "Because that's not what you said to me, this morning. What was it? I pressured you. And that I should take a fucking hint, because you didn't need me all up in your business."

"Oh, so is that what this is, huh? Revenge?"

"No!" I couldn't help but find it funny that he was accusing me of such a thing. "I didn't plan this, I didn't do it on purpose to hurt you! I'm not out to get you, Natsu! I just…" I sighed, emptying my lungs, ready to confess what I had been feeling for the past month or so. "It's been hard for me, ok? Getting home after a long day of work, and seeing you… Like that, not knowing what to do to help. Especially with you pushing me away all the time… So, yeah, I admit I was relieved to having to wait a little longer to get back home…"

"Oh, it's been hard on you, is it? Well, I'm sorry if _my_ problems have been so tough for _you_ to endure! It must have been really hard on you!"

"All I'm saying…" I shouted, to be heard. "Is you can't have both! You can't be rude to me and tell me to leave, and then come running, crying, guilting me into feeling sorry for you! I'm sorry about how you're feeling, and I have been trying to be here for you, but I can't and I won't live my life at your disposal! Stop being so self-centered for once!" Those last few words echoed across the room, and I regretted saying them as soon as I heard them myself, but instead of apologizing, I kept it together, looking straight at Natsu's face, as he digested what I had just said.

"Wow… So that's it, huh? I'm selfish… That's fine…" The way he said those words it was like he didn't have it in him to fight anymore. The sad expression left his face to leave space to the apathetic one that had been there for the last month.

I swallowed hard, trying not to give in into the guilt I was feeling for finally saying a piece of my mind. I knew it wasn't entirely fair what I said, but I didn't want to give Natsu the taste, either. But when I saw him getting out of the bedroom, I couldn't just leave him.

"Natsu, wait…" I walked to him as the, now, blond-haired man made his way out of the apartment and kept walking on the hallway. "Natsu, please, I'm sorry, ok?" But he didn't say anything, just kept walking and I kept following him, to his own apartment, where he closed the door on my face. "Natsu, c'mon man. I'm sorry…"

I kept knocking, but nothing happened. After nearly an hour of insisting, I finally gave up and went upstairs, to my apartment. That would be the last time I would see my boyfriend for over a week.

The time passed by. Every morning before going to work, I would knock on his door again, hoping he would answer it. I would the same at night, getting back home.

It was hard to focus on anything, seeing as my mind would always go back to the green-eyes man, and whether he was okay. Whenever I went to bed at night, whenever I woke up and looked to the other side, empty. The things I yelled at him at the night of our fight kept echoing inside my head. I knew I had been harsh, but, at the same time, some things might've needed to be said, in order so I could shrug this huge weight from my shoulders. If I knew the price that would come from saying those things, however, perhaps I would've chosen to be quiet.

At work, I was not myself. I lived day after day with just my body moving, but it was like I wasn't inside of it. Instead, I was in a parallel world, doomed to live with my concerns and anguishes, and to relieve all the fucked-up stuff I had done while taking care of my boyfriend. If anything were to happen to him, I knew it would be my fault, and I had no idea of how to approach him in order to prevent something from happening.

I knew the way I've been acting was started to affect the people around me, just like Natsu was affecting me. Kei was constantly giving me this looks of concern at work, asking if I was fine, to which I just shrugged it off and replied that, yes, I was. At home, Loki would do the same thing, whenever we crossed paths on the living room. He would also secure me that Natsu was fine, that he just needed space, but the thoughts of him trying to harm himself in any way, because of me, would never get out of my head, no matter how hard my friend tried to make me feel better.

That routine went on, I woke up for work, looked around to find my empty room, got filled with worry, knocked on Natsu's door before getting off to work to no replies, spent the day working and feeling terrible, got back home, knocked on his door again, just to be ignored one more time, and got to bed, feeling really shitty.

Nothing changed, until one night. I was ready to go to sleep, when my phone started ringing. I did not know the number, but picked up anyway, estranged.

"Hello…?"

"Gray?"

"Who is… Wait… Lucy?" I asked, realizing to whom the other voice on the other side belonged to.

"What the fuck is going on?" I sighed with that response. The las thing I needed was a moral lesson, especially from the little miss perfect, herself.

"So, I figured you have been talking to Natsu, right?" I asked. Even though I one hundred percent did not want to have that conversation, something inside of me felt good saying those words. At least that meant Natsu was up to something.

"He told me that you guys got into a big fight, where you called him selfish and self-centered and said that his problems were getting in your way…"

"Wow, wow, wow." I interrupted the blond woman on the other side. "That is not all that happened, okay? You can't just listen to one side of the argument and think that they are one hundred percent in the right."

"Look, I don't care what happened! All I know is that Natsu has been feeling terrible ever since what happened to his dad, and he needs all of the support he can get!"

"Oh, you know that, do you?" My tone got altered. I figured that would finally be the part where I would've had enough of Lucy's bullshit and say everything I wanted. Luckily, it was not the case. "Don't you think I know that? Who do you think has been stressing out trying to figure out what to do to make him feel better for more than a month now, while you're in Europe? Don't you think I'm feeling like trash for what happened?! I want to help him just as much as you do, the difference is, I'm actually here. And trust me, if you were actually here, you would see that it is way harder than just talking to him on the phone once a day!"

"Look, I don't want to fight…" _No, you just want to promote yourself like the best, most compassionate friend ever, as opposed to me, the worst boyfriend in the world,_ I thought to myself. "All I know is, I know he is hurting, and as I friend I worry. And, as a friend, I also know that you are probably the one that can make him feel better." Those words actually surprised me. "So, can you please, forget about the fight and just go to him? He needs your company…"

"Wait, you think I haven't talked to him since the fight? I have been trying to make contact to him every day! He is the one shutting me out!"

"I see…" She sighed. "Look, I'll talk to him. Tell him to let you in, okay?"

"All right… Thanks Lucy…" Those were some of the strangest couple of words that ever came out of my mouth. We hang up, with me, for the first time, seeing the blond girl as an ally, rather than a rival of a sort.

I went down the stairs, determined to not leave till pink head had opened his door for me and let me in inside his apartment, so we could talk and make amends. Getting there, however, my eyes popped, with a strange man standing in front of the door. I had never seen him before. He had ebony hair and pale skin. The clothes he was wearing were also all black, and he had a backpack with him.

"Hey…?" I asked, making the man turn to me, surprised.

"Oh, hi… Do you know Natsu?"

"Yeah… I'm his boyfriend."

"Oh…" He couldn't disguise his surprise by the fact. "Nice to meet you…" We shook hands. "I'm here to meet with him. I knocked, but no one answered."

"Right… And, who are you?" I insisted, still a bit unsure.

"Oh, I'm a distant family member. I just heard of Igneel's passing. I talked to his step-mom, and she told me to come here, talk to him…"

"I see…" Something about that didn't feel right to me. Plus, the last thing Natsu needed by then was a distant relative that would make him remember of his father's death. Still, I couldn't just kick him out of the building. "He probably thinks that it's me talking. You should introduce yourself…"

"Right." The black-haired man got back to knocking. "Natsu? It's me, Zeref… We talked on the phone, remember?" The fact that that man had already made contact with him made me feel a little less uneasy, but still was unsure about that situation.

We stayed there, in the hallway, with an awkward silence between us. I sighed in relieve when steps approaching the door could be heard. Not only because I would finally see my boyfriend after all those days, but because it was becoming unbearably uncomfortable to be left alone with that stranger. Finally, the door opened.

"Hey…" Natsu's smile from seeing the other ma there soon faded away when realized I was also present. "What are you doing here?" My eyes popped with how the man looked. His bear had grown even bigger and the entire top of head had all been taken by his original blond locks. His clothes seemed also old. All in all, he looked even more busted than before.

"I want to talk to you…" Seeing that my initial response wasn't enough, I was forced to elaborate. "Lucy called me, okay? I know you have been complaining to her about our… situation." He faced down, a little bit ashamed from what had just said. "I know you don't want to leave things like this, I don't want it, either. Can we talk?" He kept facing the ground, not looking at me, and the awkward silence returned. At least now it was three of us, and not just me and a complete stranger.

"Ah… Is this a bad time?" Zeref finally spoke up, sort of lighten up the moment.

"Oh, no. I'm sorry…" Natsu retreated himself, opening up a smile again and facing the man. "Please come in…" He opened up space for the guy to pass. As I made my way to walk inside, he stretched his arm against the wall, blocking me, and looking at my direction with an angry face.

"Please…" I insisted, opening up appellative smile. Snorting and making it clear he didn't want to do it, the man let me pass.

I saw Zeref sat in the kitchen balcony and I sat next to him. Natsu passed by us, entering the kitchen.

"So, Zeref, do you want anything?"

"Oh, just a cup of water for me, that's fine."

"So, why did you want to meet me for?" My heart started to pound a bit, as I watch Natsu, his back turned to us, as he poured the water on a glass cup. That conversation wasn't going to make him any better, I could tell.

"Oh, uh…" I looked at the man sitting next to me. He looked really nervous. I knew that nothing good could come to this. He clenched his fists on top of the balcony, as to dig up the courage to say something. "I don't know how to tell you this…" _Oh, lord._ "I'm your brother."


End file.
